Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain

Excerpt

This guideline covers assessing all chronic pain (chronic primary pain, chronic secondary pain, or both) and managing chronic primary pain in people aged 16 years and over. Chronic primary pain is pain with no clear underlying cause, or pain (or its impact) that is out of proportion to any observable injury or disease.

This guideline should be used alongside NICE guidelines for other chronic pain conditions, including the NICE guidelines on headaches, low back pain and sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, spondyloarthritis, endometriosis, neuropathic pain and irritable bowel syndrome.

See a visual summary setting out how to use NICE guidelines for assessing and managing chronic primary and chronic secondary pain.

The recommendations in this guideline were developed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This guideline was commissioned by NICE and developed in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

Who is it for?:

1. Healthcare professionals

2. Commissioners and providers of services

3. People with chronic primary pain and chronic secondary pain, their families and carers