SIS-19 - The Groundhog Day Phenomenon Reloaded

“The Groundhog Day Phenomenon” was the title of a presentation at the 2015 PAINWeek National Conference. For better or for worse, it is time to do it again. This session will update discussions, debates, and research with respect to the appropriate assessment, treatment, and follow-up of patients with chronic pain, with a particular focus on the ever-changing role of opioid analgesics in a pain treatment plan. The presentation will again review those subjects from a historical and real-time perspective, examining how discussions and clinical actions have fallen into a circular, nonproductive, and repetitive pattern. Additionally, attention will be paid to educational deficits and their impact on policies and procedures that significantly affect people with pain in a negative way. Older topics and controversies will be reviewed, and new areas will be explored with the attention of providing attendees with ideas and approaches to potentially break the recurring cycle and move compassionate, safe, and effective pain care to the “next” level without reinventing the wheel.