Integration and coordination of pain management in primary care

Pain is one of the most common symptoms reported to primary care providers and has significant implications for health care costs. The primary aim of this article is to describe and illustrate how to integrate the treatment of chronic pain in the primary care setting. First, we address the integration and coordination of care between mental health and primary care. We then present a typical case and discuss the patient's treatment, outcome, and prognosis. The article concludes with a discussion of issues that frequently arise when integrating psychological treatment for pain in primary care settings. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.