Pain in Primary Care Settings

Pain is the number one complaint for people seeking medical treatment. It accounts for over 35 million new office visits and is a component of 80% of all office visits to physicians in the United States annually. Of these patients, a significant proportion already have or go on to develop chronic pain, accounting for nearly 50 million people in pain in the United States alone. The economic and public health impact of pain is tremendous, accounting for an estimated $100 billion/year in medical costs. Most often the primary care setting is the first and only site of contact for these patients. Due to the complex nature of many of the chronic pain conditions, professionals working in the primary care setting may often be overwhelmed, confused, or frustrated by ethical and legal issues, disability forms, and requests for medications.