Conducting an ePain Assessment: Asking the Right Questions, Using the Best Tools

Pain is much more than nociception. It is influenced by a number of psychological and social factors; therefore, it is imperative that physical, functional, and psychosocial assessment tools are used when evaluating pain, whether in person or conducted remotely via Telehealth. These tools include the GAD-7, PHQ-9, pain catastrophizing and opioid risk tools, unimodal pain scales, as well as common pain intensity scales such as the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Verbal Descriptor Scale (VDS), and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). It is vital that clinicians are equipped with strategies and best approaches to administering these tools throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Case-based learning is helpful in illustrating not just strategies for managing challenging patients, but also in sharing experiences and insights on maintaining quality care when facing changes in clinical workflow. To help clinicians adapt to virtual appointments, this CME Outfitters BriefCase features expert faculty presenting a case vignette that demonstrates tips for performing psychosocial and physical assessments via a telehealth appointment in order to educate clinicians on appropriate management of pain and the viability of Telehealth for pain evaluation and ongoing management.

At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:
-Apply knowledge of acute and chronic pain pathways and underlying mechanisms to clinical assessment and appropriate management of pain.

The following learning objectives pertain only to those requesting CNE or CPE credit:
-Describe acute and chronic pain pathways and underlying mechanisms to clinical assessment and appropriate management of pain.