Telephone-Delivered Collaborative Care Is Effective for Chronic Pain Management

Chronic musculoskeletal pain has extensive medical and financial consequences, including high levels of inappropriate opioid use. Few proven interventions exist for managing pain in the primary care setting. In a trial conducted at a single Veterans Affairs healthcare facility, researchers randomized 250 patients (mean age, 55) with substantial and persistent (≥3 months) musculoskeletal pain to telephone-based collaborative care or to usual care. Intervention patients received weekly to monthly automated symptom monitoring by interactive, voice-recorded telephone calls or by Internet communication, combined with algorithm-guided analgesic management delivered by a nurse care manager working with a pain specialist. Usual-care patients contin…