Chronic Pain Management in America: A 10-question Quiz

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate that over 50 million US adults suffer from chronic pain. What techniques are these adults using to manage their chronic pain? Questions on pain management techniques appeared for the first time in the 2019 NHIS, where 31 916 participants reported their use of 11 techniques during the past 3 months.

Researchers led by Cornelius Groenewald, MB, from the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, utilized this information in a cross-sectional study published in JAMA Network Open to provide baseline information on the use of opioids and non-pharmacologic pain management techniques among adults with chronic pain. The team coded the 11 techniques into 6 categories, including opioids for chronic pain; physical, occupational, or rehabilitative therapy; psychological and psychotherapeutic therapies; and complementary therapies, such as chiropractic, massage, yoga or tai chi, and mediation.

In the slides below, find 10 questions based on the findings.