Montana Pain Initiative
The Problem
Untreated and under-treated pain is a serious public health problem in Montana and the United States, resulting in substantial physical, personal and social costs.
Pain is one of the most common symptoms associated with cancer and the number one reason people in the U.S. access the health care system. Although most cancer pain can be adequately relieved with effective medications and non-drug therapies, pain prevalence in cancer patients has remained unchanged for decades. Thirty percent of newly diagnosed patients experience pain, as do 30 to 50 percent who are undergoing treatment, and 70 to 90 percent with advanced disease. Sadly, pain is often neither discussed with doctors nor adequately treated.
Though pain management is fundamental to medical practice, it is complex, depending upon multiple factors, including patient self-report; provider assessment and practice; availability of treatment options and referral networks; and institutional, state, and federal policies. Nationally 76.5 million people suffer from persistent pain. Medically underserved populations endure an even higher pain burden. Pain is the most common reason Americans access the healthcare system.
The annual cost of chronic pain in the United States , including healthcare expenses, lost income, and lost productivity, is estimated to be $100 billion. Local statistics are difficult to obtain, but 62% of Montana respondents in a convenience sample study of 329 participants indicated they experienced pain.
Montana’s Solutions
The American Cancer Society through its Montana Pain Initiative Project (MTPI) is working to improve public policy and reduce barriers to appropriate pain management; improve provider practice to ensure effective pain assessment and management; work with law makers to reduce the incidence of addiction and diversion while keeping patient care as the primary focus; and, conduct public engagement and patient advocacy to improve knowledge of pain management issues.
The MTPI will benefit thousands of Montanans with chronic pain, will improve provider practice, and assist in the process of creating balanced policies that ensure prescription pain medications are available to patients who need them, but kept away from those who intend to misuse them.
visit mtpain.org
Montana Campaigns
Unless specifically noted otherwise, the Society, and not ACS CAN, is conducting the activities described on this page.
