By The Numbers: 28 August 2023
80%
The percentage of service members with chronic pain who receive "some nonpharmacologic treatment" (NPT), according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation -- Delivering Exceptional Pain Care to Service Members.
The use of NPT is consistent with the stepped-care model, which promotes evidence-based pain care and minimization of opioid use. Patients whose pain is not responsive to primary or secondary treatment, including NPT, can be referred to specialty pain management clinics. Among service members with chronic pain (defined as pain lasting three or more months), 81 percent received at least one visit for a recommended NPT.
- Among those with acute low back pain, 79 percent received treatment consistent with stepped care. Specifically, in the three months following patients' initial back pain visits, they received NPT or nonopioid medication prior to receiving opioids.
- Physical and occupational therapy was the most common type of NPT that service members received, followed by guided exercise and chiropractic care. However, other types of recommended NPT were underutilized in the MHS, including acupuncture, psychotherapy for pain (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy), and biofeedback.
80%
The percentage of service members with chronic pain who receive "some nonpharmacologic treatment" (NPT), according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation -- Delivering Exceptional Pain Care to Service Members.
The use of NPT is consistent with the stepped-care model, which promotes evidence-based pain care and minimization of opioid use. Patients whose pain is not responsive to primary or secondary treatment, including NPT, can be referred to specialty pain management clinics. Among service members with chronic pain (defined as pain lasting three or more months), 81 percent received at least one visit for a recommended NPT.
- Among those with acute low back pain, 79 percent received treatment consistent with stepped care. Specifically, in the three months following patients' initial back pain visits, they received NPT or nonopioid medication prior to receiving opioids.
- Physical and occupational therapy was the most common type of NPT that service members received, followed by guided exercise and chiropractic care. However, other types of recommended NPT were underutilized in the MHS, including acupuncture, psychotherapy for pain (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy), and biofeedback.