NIH Pain Consortium - Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain

In 2012, NIH convened a Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain, comprising 16 invited experts from varied disciplines and from scientific and research institutions outside NIH. The NIH Pain Consortium's charge to this group included developing a set of standards to increase the consistency of future clinical research on cLBP.

 

In April 2014, the Task Force began to release publications on its work, including a full report with recommendations on standards, an executive summary, journal articles, and a uniform minimal dataset. The Task Force's recommendations, considered a dynamic document, are intended to help advance the field, resolve controversies, and ease the way in future cLBP research. 

http://painconsortium.nih.gov/NIH_Pain_Programs/Task_Force/cLBP_RTF.html

PROMIS Pain-Related Measures: An Overview

The National Institute of Health created PROMIS to develop and evaluate measures to target important health outcomes across various chronic diseases. The pain-related domains include items for pain intensity, interference, behavior, and quality.

By Dennis A. Revicki, PhD and Karon F. Cook, PhD

http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/resources/clinical-practice-guidelines/promis-pain-related-measures-overview

CVS won't require prescriptions for heroin life-saver | PennLive.com

CVS pharmacies has made the drug naloxone, which can reverse a heroin or painkiller overdose, available without a prescription in 12 states including Pennsylvania.

The move comes amid a national epidemic of overdoses involving opiates, a category of drug that includes prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and heroin.

Naloxone, which comes in injectable and nose-spray forms, has increasingly been carried by first-responders such as police, and has gained widespread attention for its ability to save addicts. While the drug does nothing to stop their addiction, it give addicts a chance at obtaining treatment and recovering.

Last year, Pennsylvania changed state law to make naloxone available to non-medical first responders and families. It has long been used by hospitals and ambulance crews.

A CVS spokesman couldn't immediately be reached Thursday to say how much naloxone will cost in the midstate.

Naloxone is commonly sold under the brand name Narcan. According to recent news reports, the price of naloxone has recently doubled, apparently because of the growing demand.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/09/naloxone_narcan_treatment.html