Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and PDMP (PMOP)
For Providers - Whole Person Pain Care
Narrow focus on a single body part or on one aspect of the pain experience can lead to unsafe and ineffective treatments. A whole person approach to pain care recognizes that pain is a complex, multidimensional, biopsychosocial experience and that treatment must focus on all aspects of a person’s health, life, and relationships.
Whole Health at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 
The VHA is a leader in promoting individualized whole person pain care. It combines conventional medicine with personalized health planning, CIH, and innovative, self-care approaches.
Adopting a Whole Health Approach
- Places each person at the center of his or her own health care
- Shifts the focus of care toward health and well-being
- Utilizes Mindful Awareness to promote self-care and healing
- Emphasizes the importance of relationships and partnerships
- Incorporates a range of conventional and complementary approaches
– Learn more about whole health at the VHA’s Whole Health for Life website.
– Brief videos and podcasts about whole health from other Veterans, VA leaders and clinicians across VA. Whole Health - video series
Free - Whole Health Training Opportunity Now Available for VA Clinicians
- The National Center for Integrative Primary Healthcare (NCIPH) Foundations, Integrative Health Online Curriculum is a 31.6-hour introductory course that sets the foundation of developing a core set of integrative healthcare competencies and resources for the variety of health professionals who work in primary care. Interested VA learners must apply for access to this course through theregistration link. Learn more about this course by viewing the curriculum syllabus and course handout.
Whole Health Library 
Whole Health Library - is a collaborative effort of the VHA Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Integrative Health Program, in support of the VHA’s effort to affect transformational change towards a Whole Health model of health care delivery.
National Institute for Health (NIH) - National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 
– NIH site contains research and information about complementary health products and practices: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Opioid Risk Mitigation 
In addition to providing a whole person treatment for individuals with chronic pain, careful and thoughtful implementation of opioid risk mitigation and exit strategies is a key part to providing safe and effective pain care.
– Please see the Opioid Safety section of the pain management website for extensive information on opioid risk mitigation strategies.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)
– ODPHP - Pathways to Safer Opioid Use is an interactive training that promotes the appropriate, safe, and effective use of opioids to manage chronic pain: https://health.gov/hcq/training-pathways.asp
Whole Health - Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
Whole Health approach - VA established the Integrative Health Coordinating Center (IHCC) to:
- Identify and remove barriers to providing CIH across VA.
- Serve as a resource for clinical practices and education for Veterans, clinicians, leadership, and staff.
VA-approved Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches for Treatment:
VA-approved Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches for Well-Being:
Providers Pain Management - Resource Topics
 |
 |
 |
 |
Literature Alerts for VA Staff
The VA Library Network will provide VA staff an index of recent articles related to opioids and many other areas of interest right to your work mailbox. If you are interested in subscribing to this alert click here.
Disclaimer: *Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
