A PROTOCOL-CONTRACT FOR OPIOID USE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN NOT DUE TO MALIGNANCY

The legal, pschosocial, and medical factors that we believe have contr ibuted to the success of our protocol-contract in prescribing opioids to patients with chronic pain not due to malignancy are outlined. Thes e factors may be applicable to the treatment of a variety of chronic n onmalignant pain syndromes such as postherpetic neuralgia or human imm unodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The intended t arget audience of this paper is the physician (primary care, chronic p ain specialist) who is involved in prescribing opioids for the treatme nt of chronic, nonmalignant pain. (C) 1998 by Elsevier Science Inc.