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Health Services Research & Development

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Research Topics


Pain Management

The medical management of chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term) pain is an important priority for VA, as some 77% of Veterans report pain control as among their top three priorities in primary care.* Important issues being studied include whether computer-aided screening will increase pain diagnosis, and what techniques will best support Veterans in self-managing their pain.

* Mitchinson AR, Kerr EA, Krein SL. "Management of chronic noncancer pain by VA primary care providers: when is pain control a priority?' Am J Manag Care. 2008 Feb;14(2):77-84.

NEW! Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for Pain Management

Each "widget" below is populated by a dynamic search of the HSR&D website and its underlying databases. Search results are generated based on the search term "Pain". Results are updated regularly, as new data are available.

VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR&D Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Topic Spotlight | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources



Citations

(5 of more than 1581 PAIN focused publications)



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Publication Briefs

(5 of more than 92 PAIN focused publication briefs)


  • Black Veterans with Chronic Pain Express Dissatisfaction with VA Telehealth Options during Pandemic
    This study sought to understand how Black Veterans with chronic pain experienced pandemic-related changes in VA healthcare delivery. Investigators conducted qualitative interviews with Black Veterans who had completed a randomized controlled trial of an intervention focused on communication and patient activation for Black patients with chronic pain. Findings showed that Veterans described mostly ...
    Date: November 14, 2022
  • AI-Guided Pain Care Might Work as Well as Phone Therapy
    Investigators in this study developed a cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) intervention using artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically adjust the modality of weekly therapist interactions based on patient feedback reported daily via interactive voice response (IVR). This trial evaluated this intervention (AI-CBT-CP) relative to therapist-delivered telephone CBT-CP. Finding...
    Date: September 1, 2022
  • Low-Value Service Use Common and Costly among Veterans Enrolled in VA Healthcare
    This study sought to quantify Veterans’ overall use and cost of low-value services, including VA-delivered care and VA-purchased community care. Findings showed that low-value service use is common and costly across a variety of VA services. In this study cohort, 19.6 low-value services per 100 Veterans were delivered by VA facilities or VA Community Care programs in fiscal year 2018, which involv...
    Date: July 5, 2022
  • PTSD-Multimorbidity in Recently Discharged Veterans Predicts Poor Social Functioning, Increasing Risk for Suicidal Ideation
    A growing body of literature suggests that problems experienced by Veterans during their transition from military to civilian life confer significant risk for suicidal ideation (SI). One of these problems is PTSD, which, along with chronic pain and sleep disturbance, can increase risk for SI. Findings from this study showed that at approximately 15 months post-separation, almost 91% of Veterans wi...
    Date: June 2, 2022
  • Research Suggests Battlefield Acupuncture is Immediate but Short-Term Pain Management Tool
    This commentary summarizes work conducted to examine battlefield acupuncture’s (BFA’s) implementation and effectiveness within the VA healthcare system. Findings show that there is some evidence that BFA is a potentially effective, immediate, but short-term pain management tool that can be used in adjunct with other pain therapies. BFA produced a minimal clinically important improvement in pain fo...
    Date: March 26, 2021

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Studies

( 5 of more than 97 PAIN focused projects )

Project No.  Title  PI  Funding Start   
SDR 21-012 Options for Pain Management using Nonpharmacological Strategies (OPTIONS) Matthias, Marianne 2022-11-01
IIR 20-256 MOTIVATE to Improve Outcomes for Older Veterans with Musculoskeletal Pain and Depression Makris, Una 2022-10-01
IIR 20-242 Self-Administered Acupressure for Veterans with Chronic Back Pain: A Multisite Evaluation of Effectiveness and Implementation Krein, Sarah 2022-06-01
SDR 21-108 Role of Non-pharmacological Pain Treatments in Safe and Effective Opioid Tapering in Chronic Pain Black, Anne 2022-05-01
SDR 21-092 COVID-19 Impact on Pain management: Highlighting, Explaining, and Realigning services (CIPHER) McGuire, Alan 2022-04-01

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HSR&D Briefs, Reports, Newsletters

5 sample "Pain" publications displayed.


  • Examining Pain and Pain Care in the VA || In Progress

    ...help VA provide safe and effective pain management for all Veterans....Treatment of Pain among Veterans » Table of Contents Examining Pain and Pain Care in...the development and persistence of pain, pain management variability-associated

  • FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

    ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Commentary Chronification of Pain and the Science of Pain Management Rollin M. Gallagher...Director for Pain Management, Veterans Health Administration Pain hurts. Without

  • FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

    ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Commentary Meeting the Challenge of Chronic Pain as a Public Health Problem Erin E. Krebs...Minnesota and Robert D. Kerns, PhD, HSR&D Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities

  • FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

    ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Integrative Health Approaches to Addressing Pain Stephanie L. Taylor, PhD, HSR&D Center...half of Veterans experience chronic pain, making it the most common condition

  • FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

    ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...for Veterans with Chronic Low Back Pain: The CAMEO Trial Matthew J. Bair, MD...Indianapolis, Indiana Musculoskeletal pain is common, accounting for two-thirds

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Topic Spotlight

Read more on this topic and related topics


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Cyberseminars

The most recent "Pain" seminars are displayed.

Date Title Presenter(s)
4/4/2023 Use of VA’s Whole Health System of Care by Veterans on Long-term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain Curtis, Blair  
Black, Anne  
3/16/2023 Association of Complementary and Integrative Health Interventions with Opioid Use among Veterans with Musculoskeletal Disorders and PTSD Goulet, Joseph  
3/7/2023 Comorbid Chronic Pain and PTSD: The Case for Yoga as a Simultaneous Treatment Zaccari, Belle  
2/9/2023 HSR&D National Meeting Paper Session: Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health Research Community, HSR&D  
1/19/2023 Identifying Implementation Strategies that Encourage Use of Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies Der-Martirosian, Claudia  
Shin, Marlena  

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Videos


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Podcasts


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Other Resources

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