Shaping the future of geriatric chronic pain care: a research agenda for progress.

Abstract

Chronic pain is highly prevalent among older adults and its burden will become increasingly significant as our population ages. Yet, chronic pain is often undertreated in this vulnerable population due to various barriers in health care delivery. To improve geriatric chronic pain management, we assert that older adults require a dedicated research agenda designed to inform the development, testing, and implementation of chronic pain treatments that account for the unique vulnerabilities and healthcare needs of this population. Specifically, we propose that the following four areas of research require immediate attention to better serve older adults with chronic pain: (1) health equity, (2) substance use, (3) dyadic interventions, and (4) digital health. Our proposed research agenda aims to create a more robust and comprehensive body of evidence that will ultimately transform and advance geriatric chronic pain management.