[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 161 (Wednesday, August 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49332-49333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19804]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice of NIH Pathways to Prevention Workshop: The Role of 
Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Pain

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH) ``Pathways to Prevention Workshop: The Role of Opioids in the 
Treatment of Chronic Pain,'' which is open to the public.

DATES: The workshop will be held September 29-30, 2014. Sessions will 
begin at 8:30 a.m. on both days of the workshop.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be at the NIH Natcher Conference Center, 
45 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Registration and workshop information 
is available at the NIH Office of Disease Prevention Web site: https://prevention.nih.gov/programs-events/pathways-to-prevention/upcoming-workshops/opioids-chronic-pain; or by sending email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chronic pain is a major public health 
problem that is estimated to affect more than 100 million people in the 
United States and about 20 to 30 percent of the population worldwide. 
The prevalence of persistent pain is expected to rise in the near 
future as the incidence of associated diseases (including diabetes, 
obesity, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, and cancer) increases in 
the aging U.S. population.
    Opioids are powerful analgesics that are commonly used and found to 
be effective for many types of pain. However, opioids can produce 
significant side effects, including constipation, nausea, mental 
clouding, and respiratory depression, which can sometimes lead to 
death.
    In addition, long-term opioid use can also result in physical 
dependence, making it difficult to discontinue use even when the 
original cause of pain is no longer present. Furthermore, there is 
mounting evidence that long-term opioid use for pain can actually 
produce a chronic pain state, whereby patients find themselves in a 
vicious cycle in which opioids are used to treat pain caused by 
previous opioid use.
    Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate 
that the prescribing of opioids by clinicians has increased threefold 
in the last 20 years, contributing to the problem of prescription 
opioid abuse. Today, the number of people who die from prescription 
opioids exceeds the number of those who die from heroin and cocaine, 
combined.
    Health care providers are in a difficult position when treating 
moderate to severe chronic pain; opioid treatments may lessen the pain, 
but may also cause harm to patients. Additionally, there has not been 
adequate testing of opioids in terms of what types of pain they best 
treat, in what populations of people, and in what manner of 
administration. With insufficient data, and often inadequate training, 
many clinicians prescribe too much opioid treatment when lesser amounts 
of opioids or non-opioids would be effective. Alternatively, some 
health care providers avoid prescribing opioids altogether for fear of 
side effects and potential addiction, causing some patients to suffer 
needlessly.
    The 2014 ``NIH Pathways to Prevention Workshop: The Role of Opioids 
in the Treatment of Chronic Pain'' will seek to clarify:
     Long-term effectiveness of opioids for treating chronic 
pain;
     Potential risks of opioid treatment in various patient 
populations;
     Effects of different opioid management strategies on 
outcomes related to addiction, abuse, misuse, pain, and quality of 
life;
     Effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies for opioid 
treatment; and
     Future research needs and priorities to improve the 
treatment of pain with opioids.
    The workshop is sponsored by the NIH Office of Disease Prevention 
and the NIH Pain Consortium.
    Initial planning for each Pathways to Prevention workshop is 
coordinated by a Working Group that nominates panelists and speakers 
and develops and finalizes questions that frame the workshop. After 
finalizing the

[[Page 49333]]

questions, an evidence report is prepared by an Evidence-based Practice 
Center through a contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality (AHRQ). During the one-and-one-half-day workshop, invited 
experts discuss the body of evidence, and attendees have opportunities 
to provide comments during open discussion periods. After weighing 
evidence from the evidence report, expert presentations, and public 
comments, an unbiased, independent panel will prepare a draft report 
that identifies research gaps and future research priorities. The draft 
report is posted on the ODP Web site, and public comments are accepted 
for two weeks. The final report is then released approximately two 
weeks later.

    Please Note:  As part of the measures to ensure the safety of 
NIH employees, patients, visitors, and property, all visitors to the 
NIH Bethesda campus must be prepared to show a photo ID upon 
request. Visitors may be required to pass through a metal detector 
and have bags, backpacks, or purses inspected or x-rayed as they 
enter the campus. For more information about the security measures 
at the NIH, please visit the Web site at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorsecurity.htm.


    Dated: August 14, 2014.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2014-19804 Filed 8-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P