Last month, the AAPM released a public comment http://www.painmed.org/files/aapm-position-statement-on-nasem-report.pdf applauding the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) for its efforts in preparing the July 13, 2017 report, Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use: “The report, which appropriately details the pressing public health challenges pertaining to the burden of pain on Americans and the increasing toll of the opioid epidemic on society, provides a number of thoughtful recommendations to increase understanding of the interplay between the two.” The decision by AAPM to support publicly the recommendations of the report was not particularly difficult to make. The authors appropriately address the dual public health burdens of undertreated pain and opioid use disorder. Additionally, they include a call for investment in research to better understand pain and opioid use disorder, the development of comprehensive pain education materials and curricula for health care providers, and facilitation of reimbursement for comprehensive pain management programs. What’s not to approve about this.
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Steven P. Stanos (2017) studied this question.