The People’s Campaign for Preventing Chronic Pain.

The goal of this campaign is to ultimately transform the health care system to help prevent chronic pain in every person with a pain condition with 3 goals;

Goal 1:Expand research on the causes and mechanisms of chronic pain

The Chronic Pain Research Network (CPR-Net) This network will develop and test new on-line patient training tools, better and safer pharmaceuticals for pain, and innovative patient-centered treatment strategies to improve preventing and alleviating chronic pain. The CPR-Net can include any health professional who cares for patients with pain, are willing to participate in clinical evaluation of tools and treatments, and be linked to other health professionals, patients, and investigators through a sophisticated integrated health information network technology.

Goal 2: Expand education on preventing chronic pain

Health professionals who care for people with pain condition can become trained in a transformative care model that integrates evidence-based treatments with robust self-management training to both alleviate the pain as well as transform a patient’s life into one of health and wellness. The free on-line course, Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach is offered twice a year by the University of Minnesota on www.Coursera.org to begin the process of learning how to transform care of patients. “Absolutely fascinating and enlightening. This information should be part of every health care educational program!”

Goal 3:Expand advocacy for preventing chronic pain

By taking steps to prevent chronic pain, the general public, health professionals, health plans, and businesses can improve all aspects of health and wellness, relationships, productivity of businesses, quality and satisfaction with health care, and lower costs of health care. The Chronic Pain Challenge is a social media campaign to ask people to share their experiences in how they prevent chronic pain and the little things do they do each day to make them feel good.