A combined nurse-pharmacist managed pain clinic: joint venture of public and private sectors.

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain has become one of the most prevalent problems in primary care. The management of chronic pain is complex and often requires a multidisciplinary approach. The limited capacity of general practitioners to manage chronic pain and long waiting time for secondary care referrals further add to the complexity of chronic pain management. Restricted financial and skilled human capital make it hard for healthcare systems across the world to establish and maintain multidisciplinary pain clinics, in spite of their documented effectiveness. Affordability and accessibility to such multidisciplinary pain clinics is often problematic for patients. The purpose of this paper is to share our experience and relevant research evidence of a community based combined nurse-pharmacist managed pain clinic. The pain clinic serves as an example of public-private partnership in healthcare.