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For immediate release: August 14, 2013
Contact: Chuck Weber – 262.473.3018

American Pain Society Hosting Two Symposia at PAINWeek

Sessions Cover REMS and Evidence-based Pain Assessment

CHICAGO, Aug. 14, 2013 — The American Pain Society strongly believes professional and consumer education programs can achieve significant benefits for patients by improving clinicians’ knowledge regarding optimal approaches for assessing and treating chronic pain. At PAINWeek, Sept. 4-7, in Las Vegas, APS will sponsor two educational symposia. One will address REMS (risk evaluation and mitigation strategies) for extended-release, long-acting opioid analgesics and the other will cover evidence-based pain assessment and treatment.

APS is a leader in providing pain management education to clinicians–both specialists and primary care–and believes that the benefits of the multidisciplinary approach to pain care should be emphasized stressed in pain educations programs for physicians.

On Thursday, Sept. 5, the APS symposium is titled “REMS for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioids: Achieving Safe Use While Improving Patient Care,” chaired by Charles Argoff, MD. The speakers will be Barbara St. Marie, Sandra Keavey and Katherine E. Galluzzi.

Session topics are:

  • Assessing Patients for Treatment with Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Therapy
  • Initiating Therapy, Modifying Dosing, and Discontinuing Use of Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics
  • Managing Therapy with Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics
  • Counseling Patients and Caregivers About the Safe Use of Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics
  • General Drug Information for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics

On Friday, Sept. 6, APS hosts “New Developments in Evidence-Based Pain Assessment and Treatment,” chaired by APS President Roger B. Fillingim. Other speakers are Sean Mackey, MD, Michael Smith, MD and Kathleen Sluka, PhD.

Topics to be covered in the session are:

  • Using Quantitative Sensory Testing for Mechanism-Based Pain Assessment
  • Brain Imaging as an Objective Biomarker for Pain
  • How to Assess and Manage Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Pain
  • Does Exercise Increase or Decrease Pain?

“The American Pain Society believes that competency-based education programs and evaluations will benefit providers, both primary care and specialists, by conveying scientifically founded and clinically useful information that can be applied to improve the lives of patients,” said Fillingim. “The Society is pleased to participate in PAINWeek and believes its symposia at this conference will help clinicians develop and improve their clinical skills in patient assessment, communication and appropriate implementation of medical and non-medical pain therapies.”

About the American Pain Society

Based in Chicago, IL, the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and others. For more information on APS, visit www.americanpainsociety.org.