Although APTA’s recent “Beyond Opioids” panelists were diverse in experience and profession—including patient advocacy, health care provision, government, and business—several common themes arose around pain management. A new #PTTransforms blog post goes beyond the opioid statistics to highlight patient-centered strategies suggested by the guests.

Several participants urged improved provider-patient communication, including patient advocate Joan Maxwell, who was prescribed opioids after each of 9 surgeries, without a single discussion about the risks and alternatives. In a Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation survey, only 65% of respondents said their doctor talked with them about the possibility of addiction when prescribing the drugs, and only 62% received education from their physician about other ways to manage pain.

Read the full blog post here, and keep an eye out for upcoming posts on a variety of topics.

APTA’s award-winning #ChoosePT awareness campaign focuses on physical therapy as a safe alternative to opioids for pain management. To learn more, visit the association’s consumer website, www.MoveForwardPT.com/ChoosePT/.