A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACUPUNCTURE IN VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND RECEIVING OPIOIDS FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT COMPARED TO VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND NOT RECEIVING OPIOIDS FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Introduction/Background. Low back pain is a common malady among veterans and there is a high prevalence of chronic pain and opioid medication management in this population. Anecdotal evidence has revealed that individuals receiving opiate analgesics for pain are likely to report other non-opiate measures of pain control ineffective so as not to have opiate therapy discontinued. Research Question. Will veterans who are receiving opiate therapy for low back pain have a significantly different score on the Patient Outcomes Questionnaire after 6 acupuncture sessions compared with veterans who are not receiving opiate pain management therapy for their low back pain after 6 acupuncture sessions? Methods. The necessary sample size to achieve a power of 80% will be 90 participants in each arm. The outcome measure will be the total score from the Patient Outcomes Questionnaire that includes a subjective pain assessment, and an assessment of functional abilities. The anticipated outcomes will be analyzed univariately. The categorical data will be presented in Chi Square tables and the p-value interpreted. Comparisons of Group A and Group B will be accomplished by using a non-parametric test (e.g., 2-sample Wilcoxin). Results. The results will be presented after the data is collected. Discussion. Information gleaned from this Performance Improvement project will enable the Veterans Affairs Hospital to incorporate more effective practices in pain management, and reduce opioid use in veterans who are at increased risk of unintentional overdose and suicide by offering acupuncture therapy to those who are most likely to benefit from it.