1. Treatment Patterns and Population Characteristics of Nonpharmacological Management of Chronic Pain in the United States' Medicare Population: A Scoping Review.
- Author
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Choudry E, Rofé KL, Konnyu K, Marshall BDL, Shireman TI, Merlin JS, Trivedi AN, Schmidt C, Bhondoekhan F, and Moyo P
- Abstract
Background and Objectives: Clinical practice guidelines recommend noninvasive nonpharmacological pain therapies; however, reviews that assess the literature pertaining to nonpharmacological pain management among older adults and people with long-term disabilities who are disproportionately affected by pain are lacking. This scoping review aimed to systematically map and characterize the existing studies about the receipt of noninvasive, nonpharmacological pain therapies by Medicare beneficiaries., Research Design and Methods: We conducted a literature search in MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCO), SocINDEX (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, Web of Science citation indices, and various sources of gray literature. The initial search was conducted on November 2, 2021, and updated on March 9, 2022. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts for inclusion and extracted the characteristics of the studies, studied populations, and nonpharmacological pain therapies. Data were summarized using tabular and narrative formats., Results: The final review included 33 studies. Of these, 24 were quantitative, 7 were qualitative, and 2 were mixed-methods studies. Of 32 studies that focused on Medicare beneficiaries, 10 did not specify the Medicare type, and all but one of the remaining studies were restricted to fee-for-service enrollees. Back and neck pain and arthritis were the most commonly studied pain types. Chiropractic care ( n = 19) and physical therapy ( n = 17) appeared frequently among included studies. The frequency and/or duration of nonpharmacological treatment were mentioned in 13 studies. Trends in the utilization of nonpharmacological pain therapies were assessed in 6 studies but none of these studies went beyond 2008., Discussion and Implications: This scoping review found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches for nonpharmacological pain management in the Medicare population. The review also identified the need for future research that updates trend data and addresses contemporary issues such as rising Medicare Advantage enrollment and promulgation of practice guidelines for pain management., Competing Interests: Dr. Moyo reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study, serving as a technical expert panelist for Abt Associates, and being a member of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ad hoc committee on evaluating the effects of opioids and benzodiazepines on all-cause mortality in Veterans. No other disclosures were reported., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)
- Published
- 2023
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