Pharmacists’ Roles on the Pain Management Team

Pharmacists’ Roles on the Pain Management Team Pharmacists are an important resource for managing pain in their patients, in order to both optimize treatment and prevent the unintended consequences of potent analgesics. While the role of pharmacists in pain management was first addressed in the Translator Summer 2012 edition1, this rapidly evolving area of pharmacy practice has generated a number of innovative models that highlight the unique role of the pharmacist. As Canadian pharmacists embrace expanded scopes of practice, there is an opportunity to specifically leverage their services to assist patients in managing their pain. This issue of the Translator highlights four different approaches to enhanced involvement of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain: