1.
Chronic Pain Educational Needs Survey The purpose of this PA/NP survey was to identify perceived needs regarding education for managing patients with chronic pain.

2.
Demographics Total Respondents N = 79

3.
Demographics Total Respondents N = 79

4.
Demographics Total Respondents N = 79

5.
Demographics Approximate number of patients with chronic pain you manage per week. Number of Respondents N = 79

6.
How confident are you with the following abilities when managing patients with chronic pain? Mean Response (Not at all confident, 1; Extremely confident, 5) N = 79

7.
What is your preferred format for continuing education? (Check all that apply) N = 79 Number of Respondents

8.
On average, how long do you prefer to spend on the Internet or a mobile device to participate in a CE activity? N = 79 Number of Respondents

9.
How helpful… … is case-based education to you for managing patients with chronic pain? … would you find an iPhone-specific application that dealt with a specific issue relating to the diagnosis or management of chronic pain? Mean Response (Not at all helpful, 1; Very Helpful, 5) N = 79

10.
Please list the main challenge you face when diagnosing or managing patients with chronic pain. <ul><li>Abuse </li></ul><ul><li>Abuse </li></ul><ul><li>Abuse/diversion </li></ul><ul><li>Addiction </li></ul><ul><li>Addiction </li></ul><ul><li>Addiction </li></ul><ul><li>Affordable medication </li></ul><ul><li>Balancing medication treatment with psych/coping skills </li></ul><ul><li>Cause of pain and modalities vs rx for tx; pt.s new from previous pain clinic management </li></ul><ul><li>Chronic pain with psychological comorbidities </li></ul><ul><li>Collaborating and keeping all medical care givers up to date on the needs/treatment of the patient </li></ul><ul><li>Combined therapy incorporating differing pathways </li></ul><ul><li>Compliance </li></ul><ul><li>Compliance, abuse of narcotics </li></ul><ul><li>Continuity of care </li></ul><ul><li>Deciding if it is chronic neuro, or pathological </li></ul><ul><li>Depression </li></ul><ul><li>Determining the exact pathology associated with the chronic pain syndrome </li></ul><ul><li>Determining who is abusing meds </li></ul><ul><li>Developing long term treatment plan. </li></ul><ul><li>Diciphering who is drug seeking and who is truly having pain </li></ul><ul><li>Differentiating causation </li></ul><ul><li>Differentiating the need for narcotics vs. Other treatment modalities </li></ul><ul><li>Drug interactions </li></ul><ul><li>Drug interactions/side effects </li></ul><ul><li>Drug modalities </li></ul><ul><li>Facing out drug seekers </li></ul><ul><li>Feeling comfortable starting a pt on opioids that have not previously been prescribed opioids </li></ul><ul><li>Fibromyalgia pain </li></ul><ul><li>Financial coverage for the patient. </li></ul><ul><li>Finding the right combination of medications without the addiction factor </li></ul>

11.
(-cont-) Please list the main challenge you face when diagnosing or managing patients with chronic pain. <ul><li>Garnering dosing and routine compliance from the patient </li></ul><ul><li>Gross incompetence vis-a-vis primary care providers and pain management in general and in particular opiate metabolism </li></ul><ul><li>HMO coverage of newer products </li></ul><ul><li>Homeless patients with histories of various addictions </li></ul><ul><li>How to treat a person with an acute orthopaedic injury with history of chronic pain and/or history of narcotic abuse </li></ul><ul><li>I can't prescribe controlled substances in fla. </li></ul><ul><li>I have a pain management background from a previous employment, but working in the er i currently don't get any follow up, but patients report that it is difficult to get chronic pain management depending on the type of insurance they have and what insurance compainies will and will not pay for. </li></ul><ul><li>Inability to have access to all forms of treatment for all patients </li></ul><ul><li>Lifestyle </li></ul><ul><li>Managing patients with a poor at-home support system </li></ul><ul><li>Medication tolerance/abuse potential </li></ul><ul><li>Monitoring pts </li></ul><ul><li>Most do not want to get off the meds </li></ul><ul><li>Narcotic addiction </li></ul><ul><li>Opioid therapy- when to use it </li></ul><ul><li>Patient understanding and compliance </li></ul><ul><li>Possible abuse </li></ul><ul><li>Pt giving you false information about their prior treatments and medication compliance </li></ul><ul><li>Putting them on the proper therapy </li></ul><ul><li>Really helping keep the pain under control while minimizing the risk of narcotic dependence and/or abuse. Also, how to better deal with drug-seeking behavior. </li></ul><ul><li>Socioeconomic factors that accompany chronic pain </li></ul><ul><li>The challenge of taking a holistic approach to the patient, identifying non-medical confounding factors, family issues, disability, etc. </li></ul><ul><li>Threats from friends of patients who receive opiod therapy because they also want to receive opiods </li></ul><ul><li>What medication will work the best and reduce abuse/addiction potential </li></ul><ul><li>When to refer to a pain specialist. </li></ul><ul><li>When to refer to a specialist </li></ul><ul><li>When to treat, when to refer </li></ul>