Facilitating Treatment Adherence in Pain Medicine

Surveys of healthcare providers indicate that one of the most distressing features of clinical practice is that of patient nonadherence. Its incidence in pain medicine is concerning: over 50% of patients with chronic noncancer pain are nonadherent with their prescribed exercise treatment and up to 62% of patients with chronic noncancer pain are nonadherent to psychopharmacological treatment. Nonadherence is a critical issue, not only because it undermines treatment effectiveness, but because it can waste limited resources and be dangerous, especially regarding medications. Although promoting adherence is an important component of clinical practice, unfortunately it’s rarely taught in medical, nursing, or dental school. This presentation will review the ethical considerations and current models and predictors of adherence in pain care and provide practical tools to improve adherence to medication management, exercise, nutrition, and weight loss. (Recorded at PAINWeek 2018)