Continuing Education: Pain Management—An Overview of Social Work’s Potential to Enhance Care

Chronic pain and pain associated with serious or life-limiting illness impacts the lives of millions of people who engage with social workers across settings and diagnoses. Pain is a multidimensional construct affected by biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and cultural factors. Health social workers have an enormous opportunity to influence the historical and current barriers to managing pain, including the racial and gender disparities that continue to impact care and access. Managing pain in collaboration with interprofessional colleagues requires an understanding of ethical challenges and the current political and public policy landscape surrounding pain management and opioid use. This landscape makes access more complex, demanding expert assessment and treatment plans to maximize effectiveness, with attention to structures to enhance safe prescribing. In addition to defining pain and associated suffering, its scope, and impacts, participants will gain an awareness of the ethical, clinical, and policy aspects that invite social work advocacy and intervention, which are buttressed by the foundational principles of environmental context and starting where the patient is.

Continuing Education Hours Offered: 2