April 6, 2010 ( Updated with commentary April 20, 2010 ) — For the first time in more than a decade, the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Chronic Pain Management has updated its chronic pain guidelines.
"The major change with this guideline is the fact that the guideline is developed from the perspective of interventions used to treat chronic pain," lead study author Richard Rosenquist, MD, from the University of Iowa Hospital, Iowa City, said in an interview. "Instead of looking at how to treat a given diagnosis, such as low back pain, the guideline examines the evidence to support the use of a broad range of interventions to treat chronic pain."
The objectives are to optimize pain control, enhance physical and psychological well-being, and minimize adverse outcomes.