The Veterans Affairs’ Whole Health Approach for Chronic Pain Management

In veterans with chronic pain, does the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) whole health team approach reduce pain interference more than cognitive behavioral therapy and more than usual care?In this randomized clinical trial of 764 VA patients, the whole health team approach reduced pain interference (range, 0-10; higher scores indicate worse pain) more than cognitive behavioral therapy (mean difference, −0.58 points) and more than usual care (mean difference, −0.77 points).These results support the whole health team approach to improve pain interference in patients with chronic pain.

Corresponding Author: Karen H. Seal, MD, MPH, San Francisco VA Health Care System, 4150 Clement St, Bldg 6, Room 317, San Francisco, CA 94121 (karen.seal@va.gov).

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