Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) For Pain Management in a VA Community Living and Rehabilitation Center

Chronic pain affects at least 116 Million U.S. adults at an estimated cost of $650 billion annually in direct medical treatment and lost productivity. Approximately 25%-50% of community-dwelling older adults and 45%-80% of nursing home residents have substantial pain. Pain management is commonly medication-based and opioids are still widely used to treat pain. Although opioids may have some benefit for acute pain management, habitual use of these drugs for chronic pain carries many risks. In 2010, a Joint Task Force evaluated pain management in the military and veteran ’s health care and found that there is a paucity of non-medication treatments for pain.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Quality Improvement Source Type: research