THE RECENT ADVANCES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN IN FAMILY PRACTICE

Introduction: Chronic pain is considered to be one of the commonly encountered conditions in primary care that is considered significantly challenging in most patients. Pain is considered to be a complex psychological sensation which could be defined, based in the International Association for the Study of Pain, as the presence of a sensory experience and an emotional experience that are unpleasant and related to the presence of tissue injury (which can be actual or potential) According to the currently used version of the International Classification of Diseases, chronic pain is not recognized as a distinct separate diagnosis. Based on this, more studies are still needed to come up with the ideal management and treatment protocols for patients who have chronic pain along with other chronic conditions. Aim of work: In this review, we will discuss the recent advances in the management of chronic pain in family practice. Methodology: We did a systematic search for the recent advances in the management of chronic pain in family practice using PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Google Scholar search engine (https://scholar.google.com). All relevant studies were retrieved and discussed. We only included full articles. Conclusions: Chronic pain is considered among the most common causes of presentation to the primary care, and is known to severely affect the quality of life of patients. Therefore, general practitioners must be efficiently able to assess and manage patients with chronic pain. Treatment of chronic pain can be either pharmacological or non-pharmacological. The choice of treatment depends mainly on the type of pain, the etiology, the intensity, the duration of pain, and the presence of other comorbidities in the patient. Patients must be aware that it is rare for chronic pain to completely resolve. Key words: chronic pain, family medicine, primary care, management