Citation

Fricton J. Glob. Adv. Health Med. 2015; 4(1): 6-7.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, GAHM)

DOI

10.7453/gahmj.2014.075

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Chronic pain conditions are the number one reason patients seek care, number one cause of disability and addiction, and number one driver of healthcare costs, costing more than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.1-2 It is the "big elephant in the room" of healthcare and costs the United States alone over $650 billion in healthcare and lost work.1-2 This is equivalent to 25% of total healthcare costs and nearly 5% of the total gross national product of the United States. The personal impact in terms of suffering, loss of function, disability, depression, addiction, and other consequences is incalculable.1-3 Chronic pain is the most common cause of disability and opioid dependency, leading to more deaths than motor vehicle accidents.4,5 If we want to reform healthcare, we must focus on preventing chronic pain.


Read More: http://www.gahmj.com/doi/abs/10.7453/gahmj.2014.075

Language: en