Utilization of Psychological Interventions in Los Angeles County Pain Clinics

Chronic pain is a common disorder and disabling condition. Patients who suffer from chronic pain face many challenges on a daily basis. Chronic pain impacts a patient's personal life, relationships, ability to work, self-esteem, and sense of self. Moreover, chronic pain often influences co-morbid psychological disorders such as addiction, depression, or anxiety. Chronic pain is also a great challenge to the healthcare system and, in 2011 in the United States, the cost of treating it alone was estimated to be over 635 billion dollars (Haque & Swicegood, 2013).;Chronic pain is complex disease, as it is difficult for clinicians to treat. Studies suggest that medical or bio-medical interventions alone are insufficient to treat chronic pain. Over the last few decades, a number of disciplines, including psychological interventions, have become increasingly involved in treating chronic pain. Research shows that psychological interventions are effective in easing pain and improving the overall quality of a patient's life. Despite these consistent findings, many pain clinics do not utilize psychological inventions when providing care to chronic pain patients. This study was an effort to explore the benefits and challenges in including psychological interventions in chronic pain clinics.;Participants in this research consisted of 50 individuals in supervisory positions in clinics that treated chronic pain. The researcher utilized a survey to gather the study's data. The framework for this quantitative study focused on 3 areas: effectiveness and frequency of chronic pain management interventions, frequency and effectiveness of psychological interventions in treating chronic pain, and barriers to including psychological interventions in pain clinics. The results of this study can be used to increase awareness about the benefits of utilizing psychological interventions in managing chronic pain, as well as identifying the challenges that pain management clinics may anticipate in including such interventions in their treatment programs.