Integrating tobacco dependence treatment into a pain rehabilitation center

Audience: This presentation will offer information on the development and implementation of tobacco dependence intervention strategies in a treatment center for chronic paint patients. Those professionals who are interested in evidence based strategies for pain management patients will gain insight from the treatment interventions employed at the Mayo Clinic Pain Management Center Key Points: * This presentation will identify the importance of addressing tobacco use in the treatment of chronic pain. * Provide an overview of the strategies to treat tobacco dependence with patients at the Pain Rehabilitation Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota Educational Experience: The audience will be able to observe the poster, recieve a description handout, and interact with the author. Benefits: The audience will gain knowledge about unique issues that apply to smokers with chronic pain. For example, smokers report increased pain severity, depression, anxiety, and pain related impairments in physical functioning, compared to non smokers. For people with chronic pain, long term consequence of smoking includes exacerbation of pain symptoms, increased risk of hospitalizations, and preventable disability and deaths. Integrating nicotine cessation into pain rehabilitation will tangibly save lives, considerably improve pain outcomes and quality of life. A caring, compassionate approach, utilizing motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, individual and group counseling, facilitates an improved approach to treating this difficult addiction. Intervention strategies consistent with the recommendations of the USPHS National Guidelines are employed to optimize treatment with this challenging population.