September 13, 2019
A new issue brief has been released entitled "What I Want my Doctor to Know About How Arthritis and Chronic Pain Affect My Everyday Life" under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Based on interviews conducted with people living with a disability due to arthritis, who are on long-term opioids or have stopped taking opioids after developing opioid use disorder (OUD), results from the interviews suggest individuals want their doctors to:
- Talk with them in detail about how they can treat chronic pain and improve function;
- Treat the whole person, thinking beyond their health condition;
- Describe what happens if medication does not control their pain or improve function;
- Explain the signs and symptoms of OUD and the treatment plan should they develop OUD; and
- Outline other options for managing pain if they develop OUD and cannot take opioids anymore.