Russell K. Portenoy, MD, Chairman, Department of Pain Medicine & Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, stresses the importance of a comprehensive assessment in designing a plan of care for treating chronic pain. Such a plan should seek to characterize the pain, and understand its consequences and comorbidities. The result of a comprehensive plan will often be a multimodal approach to therapy that may include pharmacotherapy, interventions, rehabilitation and psychological/cognitive therapy. The discussion also touches on the role of “integrative” or complementary and alternative medicine in pain management.

This content was developed with Russell Portenoy, MD.

Russell Portenoy, MD has indicated the following financial disclosures during the past 12 months:

  • Advisor/speaker
  • Arsenal Medical Inc.
  • Grupo Ferrer
  • Xenon

Departmental educational/research grants

  • Ameritox
  • Archimedes Pharmaceuticals
  • Boston Scientific
  • Covidien Mallinckrodt Inc.
  • Endo Pharmaceuticals
  • Forest Labs
  • K-Pax Pharmaceuticals
  • Meda Pharmaceuticals
  • Medtronics
  • Otsuka Pharma
  • ProStrakan
  • Purdue Pharma
  • Salix
  • St. Jude Medical