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Developed By: Committee on Standards and Practice Parameters (CSPP)
Last Amended: October 16, 2013 (original approval: October 16, 2013)
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Chronic pain is a complex disease entity, and the practice of pain medicine encompasses evaluation, diagnosis and management including therapeutic interventions that entail substantial risk. Optimal management of the patient with chronic pain requires coordinated care from multiple providers, with each provider having an important role. The practice of pain medicine requires extensive diagnostic skills and integration of knowledge across multiple disciplines of medicine. Recognizing this, the profession of anesthesiology has been instrumental in defining the training and competencies required for physicians to provide safe and effective evaluation and treatment of chronic pain. It is in the best interests of the public to maintain the standards for training and competency established by anesthesiologists and other physicians specializing in the treatment of chronic pain, in order to balance the risks and benefits of potential therapies to yield the safest and most effective treatment for the patient suffering from chronic pain.
Appropriate education and training for all chronic pain practitioners should include comprehensive didactic knowledge with documentation of the knowledge gained, and a comprehensive portfolio of supervised cases to demonstrate competency and safety in all aspects of patient care, including pharmacologic management and interventional procedures, before beginning independent practice.
