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New model to help patients holistically manage pain established at 网红黑料 Jacksonville

网红黑料 doctor in a patient room

A new program to help people manage pain by using a combination of traditional methods mixed with new coaching and education has been established at 网红黑料 Jacksonville. The new initiative is a collaboration between emergency medicine providers and a grant from the Florida Department of 网红黑料.

For those battling pain, the first instinct may be to open the medicine cabinet or ask for a prescription to find relief. For many living with pain, the use of medication alone is not always the best solution. Recent estimates indicate chronic pain affects 50 million adults in the U.S. and this does not take into account cases that are acute in nature based on injuries commonly seen in the emergency room.

Retail pharmacies and stores are not always easy to navigate due to dozens of products on the shelf marketed for pain relief. Amid the opioid epidemic in the U.S., many patients and providers are also searching for non-medication pain management options with fewer side effects and risk for addiction. Where do you turn when you are flooded with options and the need to return to work or activities of daily living?

The Pain Assessment and Management Initiative Pain and Opioid Stewardship Education program, or PAMI POST-Ed, was established through a 2020 Overdose Data to Action award to develop and implement a novel pain coaching and education model. Launched in January, it is the first known pain coaching program implemented in a U.S. emergency room.

, or OD2A, is part of a cooperative agreement to address the drug overdose epidemic with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention providing funding to the Florida Department of 网红黑料 in Duval County. PAMI POST-Ed is sponsored by the state of Florida Department of 网红黑料.

., was hired in October 2020 as the program鈥檚 pain education specialist. He is a former emergency medical responder and is board-certified in acupuncture and oriental medicine. In his role, he provides patient consultations in the emergency department at 网红黑料 Jacksonville and 网红黑料 North and hospital inpatient units.

鈥淢y hope is to educate, coach and guide patients toward a better understanding of the way they identify and experience their pain,鈥 Suffield said. 鈥淏y utilizing my experience as an integrative health provider, our toolkit of multimodal pain management interventions, and interdepartmental communication and cooperation, I have no doubt this initiative will be a success and improve the way patients understand and manage pain.鈥

An integral part of the coaching experience is the hands-on training Suffield brings to patients 鈥 teaching them about pain neuroscience, topical analgesics, deep breathing exercises, virtual reality and other complementary health approaches. Often viewed as Eastern medicine, Suffield and the POST-Ed team will work to integrate this approach alongside traditional pain management practices to holistically guide patients in achieving an improved approach to pain management.

The program is a joint multidisciplinary effort with stakeholders and advisors from pharmacy, rehabilitative services, nursing, chaplaincy, palliative care, pain management, emergency services and trauma.

鈥淭his program is a winning strategy and collaborative partnership for patients and health care providers. It has been well received by our faculty, staff and patients and provides valuable adjuncts to incorporate into a more comprehensive pain management treatment plan while reducing the dose or need for opioids," said ., associate chair of operation for emergency medicine.

Suffield also provides patients with a toolkit of pain self-management options and educational materials for use at home. The toolkit is tailored to patient interest, type of pain and individual needs. Toolkit options include a virtual reality viewer, aromatherapy inhaler, pain analogy and stress device called 鈥淎 car with four flat tires,鈥 a hot and cold reusable gel pack, hand acupressure device, pain journal and a choice of 17 educational brochures.

Established in 2014 by ., a professor and associate chair for research in the department of emergency medicine and ., an assistant professor of emergency medicine, medical toxicologist and medical director of the Florida/USVI Poison Information Center 鈥 Jacksonville, the PAMI program has previously developed toolkits and patient resources to assist with patient discharge planning for pain. The POST-Ed project is the newest addition to PAMI and continues the program鈥檚 mission of advancing innovation and safety in pain education, patient care and research.

鈥淲e are appreciative of having been selected as an OD2A grantee by DOH-Duval for this innovative project aimed at curbing the pain and opioid epidemic,鈥 Hendry said. 鈥淒oug was the ideal candidate for our first pain educator position especially given his extensive integrative education and patient experience. Our team looks forward to expanding the program and sharing pilot materials and lessons learned with other health care systems.鈥

Media contact: Dan Leveton at Daniel.Leveton@jax.ufl.edu or 904-244-3268.

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