Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Behavioral Pain Management for Persistent Pain

Seriously ill patients often experience persistent pain. As a part of a comprehensive repertoire of pain interventions, palliative care clinicians can help by using behavioral pain management. Behavioral pain management refers to evidence-based psychosocial interventions to reduce pain intensity and enhance functional outcomes and quality of life. Conceptualized using the biopsychosocial model, techniques involve promoting helpful behaviors (e.g., activity pacing, stretching, and relaxation exercises) and modifying underlying patterns of thinking, feeling, and communicating that can exacerbate pain. The authors have expertise in pain management, clinical health psychology, geropsychology, behavioral science, and palliative medicine. The article reviews the current evidence for behavioral interventions for persistent pain and provides 10 recommendations for behavioral pain management.

Automated summary

Seriously ill patients often suffer from persistent pain. Behavioral pain management, a part of comprehensive pain interventions, can be used by palliative care clinicians to reduce pain intensity and improve functional outcomes and quality of life. By promoting helpful behaviors and modifying underlying patterns of thinking, feeling, and communicating, behavioral interventions are effective in managing persistent pain. This article by experts in various fields provides a review of the current evidence and 10 recommendations for behavioral pain management.