The 100 million Americans living with chronic pain need individualized, patient-centered care, according to an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health, News-Medical reports. Further research into evidence-based, multidisciplinary approaches is needed, the panel said. For example, prescription opioids are often used to treat chronic pain, but there is insufficient research on the safety of long-term opioid use, compared to a large body of research on its negative effects. The panel discussed several barriers to implementing evidence-based practices, such as lack of resources among clinicians and primary care practices' limited access to multidisciplinary experts. Article