Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

VHA Pain Management

Menu
Menu
Quick Links
Veterans Crisis Line Badge
My healthevet badge
Pause Play
Picture of the letters that spell out pain

We Care for Our Veterans

Pain can impact almost every aspect of your life, and you deserve to receive safe and effective care.

Learn more »

Picture of providers

Transforming VA Pain Care

Our Interdisciplinary Pain Management Teams are dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about your treatment and care.

Learn more »

PMOP

PMOP

The Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and PDMP (PMOP) Office provides clinical guidance and funding for Pain and Opioid Safety initiatives.

Learn more »

Veterans Providers PMOP
 

Transforming VA Pain Care

The Six Essentials Elements of Good Pain Care

 1. Educate Veterans/families to promote self-efficacy and shared decision making; provide access to all relevant resources
 2. Educate/train all team members to their discipline specific competencies, including team based care 
 3. Develop and integrate non-pharmacological modalities into care plans
 4. Institute evidence based medication prescribing, use of pain procedures and safe opioid use (universal precautions)
 5. Implement approaches for bringing the Veteran’s whole team together such as virtual pain consulting (SCAN-ECHO, e-consults, tele-health, clinical video tele-consultation and education) and for maintaining  ongoing communication between team members
 6. Establish metrics to monitor pain care and outcomes at both the individual level and the population level

hot topics

/PAINMANAGEMENT/Providers/Providers_images/Provider-LearningEBlast.jpg

NEW online training course provides practical advice for helping complex patients who do not respond to standard medical treatments. Continuing medical education credit is available.
− For VA Providers
− For DoD & Other Health Care Providers
See the "latest" Veterans/Public - Complementary And Integrative Health section about Home Practice Exercises.
  − Yoga/Tai Chi
  − Physical Activity - Physical Therapy & Chair Exercises
  − Acupressure
Visit the CBT-CP section to learn how it can be used as an effective treatment for reducing the negative impacts of chronic pain.
  − CBT-CP for Veterans
  − CBT-CP for Providers
Pain in Women Veterans.   
  − Chronic Pain - Women Veterans Health Care (va.gov)   
  − Podcast  ‘She Wears the Boots”: Podcasts - Women Veterans Health Care (va.gov)

Upcoming Events

Resources

Research

Upcoming eventsUpcoming Events

Developing a Pain Management Model for Patients Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

Tuesday, December 5, 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Webinar speaker: Dr. Declan Barry, Clinical Psychologist

Register for webinar »

Picture of several x-rays.Resources

The VA/DoD Clinical Guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain have brought renewed attention to the field of pain management for Veterans and the greater community. Health care professionals who treat pain require regular pain assessments that consider both emotional and sensory aspects of a patient’s pain experience. Explore a curated list of useful pain management information, assessment and drug monitoring tools in chronic pain management and opioid prescribing.

Learn More »

Doctor and patientResearch

Discovery & Innovation | Pain Research and Intervention

Veterans Affairs' research priorities address unmet needs, areas of scientific opportunity and strategies to create solutions to the opioid crisis.

Resources for Clinical Research in Pain Management

Veterans Affairs (VA) supports research to enhance pain management and improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction in Veteran Communities.

Learn More »

Pain Management - Web Resources

Explore by Pain Management Topic

icon place holdrPain Management - Home iplaceholedr iconCBT-CP
   
iplaceholedr iconCurrent Events/News iplaceholedr iconOpioid Safety
   
placeholedr iconFor Providers iplaceholedr iconResearch
   
iplaceholedr iconFor Veterans/Public iplaceholedr iconPain & Covid-19

Opioids - Literature Alerts for VA Staff

The VA Library Network will provide VA staff an index of recent articles related to opioids and many other areas of interest right to your work mailbox. If you are interested in subscribing to this alert, visit the VHA National Desktop Library Literature e-Alerts page and the Weekly PubMed/MEDLINE Alerts section to sign up.

Link out to full text articles using the blue VA Library Full Text icon: full text blue icon If an article of interest does not have a VA Library Full Text icon, search your library’s online journals and online books listing with the citation’s PubMed ID or journal title to check for a local subscription. Contact your local VA library if you need assistance retrieving full text articles (please note, this library directory is only available on the VA Intranet).

If you have questions or suggestions for pain-related resources, please send an email to VHA Pain Management Webmaster Group. Questions about personal care should be directed to the local VA facility.