title: Advancing the Pain Agenda in the Veteran Population.
abstract: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides medical care for Veterans after leaving the military. The combination of multiple deployments and battlefield exposures to physical and psychological trauma results in a higher prevalence and complexity of chronic pain in Veterans than in the general public. The VHA and the Department of Defense work together to develop a single standard of stepped pain management appropriate for all settings from moment of injury or disease onset. This article describes the education, academic detailing, and clinical programs and policies that are transforming pain care in the VHA.
authors.affiliation: Pain Service, Michael Crescenz VA Medical Center, University and Woodland, Philadelphia, PA 19035, USA; Penn Pain Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: rollin.gallagher@va.gov.
authors.forename: Rollin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gallagher
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D004501:Education, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D059408:Pain Management; D011634:Public Health; D014728:Veterans
keywords: Biopsychosocial; Chronification; JPEP; Mini-residency; Opioids; Pain; Stepped care; Veterans