Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network
Overview
The Research Need
Developing evidence-based information for patients and clinicians about which interventions are most effective is critical for better pain management. Research is needed to:
- Identify the most effective interventions and management strategies for pain while reducing reliance on opioids.
- Improve functional and health outcomes.
- Reduce pain across the continuum of acute to chronic pain associated with disease and pain presenting as disease itself.
About the Program
The Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network, a multisite research cooperative program, aims to address these needs and improve pain care by evaluating the effectiveness of a broad range of therapies to guide clinical practice in real-world settings.
The network will leverage the infrastructure of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Trial Innovation Network to support clinical trials that compare the effectiveness of existing non-addictive therapies or of existing or novel approaches for prevention and management of pain. Ultimately, the results will identify the most effective interventions and management strategies for pain while reducing reliance on opioids, improve functional outcomes, and reduce pain across the continuum of acute to chronic pain associated with disease and pain presenting as a disease.
This program is aligned with the high-priority recommendations of the Federal Pain Research Strategy and supports implementation of the recommendations of the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force.
Program Details
Through the Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM Initiative, or NIH HEAL InitiativeSM, NIH awarded grants to six institutions for clinical trials, and supplemental awards to six institutions to support clinical trials and clinical trial infrastructure. The awards are supported by multiple NIH Institutes and Centers and total approximately $80.3 million. The NCATS Trial Innovation Network will provide various services, such as study design support, recruitment and retention assistance, community and participant engagement, and the trial data management system.
Research Examples
The Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network will establish novel treatment options for a variety of pain conditions to improve quality of life and reduce opioid dependency.
Highlights of research that the Network supports include:
- Evaluating the effectiveness of nonpharmacological treatments for pain, including behavioral interventions delivered by trained providers and through telehealth programs and self-management programs
- Studying a broad range of pain conditions, including chronic overlapping pain conditions, chronic cancer pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, perioperative pain, post-Cesarean delivery pain, and knee osteoarthritis
- Reaching understudied populations, including older adults, adolescents, veterans, people in rural areas, and postpartum women
- Combining cognitive behavioral and pharmacological treatments to improve patient outcomes of pain relief and function
Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network Awards to Support Clinical Trials
- Johns Hopkins University – Maryland
- New York University School of Medicine – New York
- Kaiser Foundation Research Institute – California
- Seattle Children’s Hospital – Washington
- University of New Mexico – New Mexico
Pain Management Effective Research Network Supplemental Awards to Support Clinical Trials
- George Washington University – District of Columbia
- Wake Forest NCORP Research Base – North Carolina
NCATS Trial Innovation Network Supplemental Awards to Support Clinical Trial Infrastructure, Recruitment, and Community and Participant Engagement
- Duke University – North Carolina
- Johns Hopkins University – Maryland
- University of Utah – Utah
- Vanderbilt University – Tennessee
Funded Projects
Participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
View Other Research Programs in This Focus Area
- Enhancing Career Development in Clinical Pain Research
- Integrative Management of chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR)
- Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net)
- Back Pain Consortium Research Program
- Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM)
- Integrated Approach to Pain and Opioid Use in Hemodialysis Patients
- Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program