Read nextVIDEO: 'There is hope' for patients with chronic pain
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ORLANDO — For patients with chronic pain, the right treatment could help prevent suicide, according toKathleen M. Farrell, DO.
Farrell, an osteopathic physician specializing in family and addiction medicine with Veterans Affairs, will present two lectures Saturday at the Osteopathic Medical Education conference, or OMED.
Farrell told Healio about her presentations — which will focus on the relationship between opioids and suicide risk and managing patients on opioids — and about her long experience treating patients with chronic pain.
“I started family practice in a rural area and was very surprised to see how much pain was a part of the practice,” Farrell said. “I quickly learned how to deal with pain and how to deal with patients who have pain. ... Now, pain management has become one of my favorite areas of family practice.”
In her experience, Farrell said she has seen the highs and lows of recovery and addiction: patients who have turned their lives around and returned to work or graduate from school and those who were denied treatment and took their own lives.
“尽管我们发现越来越多的connection on how we treat these patients, or how we do not treat these patients, and suicide, there is hope here,” Farrell said. “We do have some very real answers for these patients.”
References:
- Farrell K. Opioids, pain, dependence and suicide. Presented at: OMED; Oct. 6-8, 2023; (hybrid meeting).
- Farrell K. Transitioning and maintaining patients on opioids. Presented at: OMED; Oct. 6-Oct.8, 2023; (hybrid meeting).
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