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CDC updates pain management guidelines for physicians
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Pain affects the lives of millions of Americans every day, and improving care for patients experiencing pain is a public health priority. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is releasing updated and expanded recommendations for clinicians caring for adult outpatients with short- and long-term pain. These clinical recommendations, published in the CDC Clinical Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, will help clinicians work with patients to provide the safest and most effective pain treatment. The publication updates and replaces the CDC Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, released in 2016.
"Patients with pain should receive compassionate, safe, and effective care. We want to ensure that physicians and patients have the information they need to evaluate the benefits of different pain treatment approaches to help people reduce pain and improve their quality of life," said Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, DPH, MPH, acting director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention.
The 2022 clinical guidelines cover the following areas: 1) deciding whether to initiate opioid therapy for pain, 2) choosing opioids and determining their dosage, 3) establishing the duration of the initial opioid prescription and conducting follow-up visits, and 4) assessing risks and addressing potential harms from opioid use. The guidelines support the primary prevention pillar of the HHS overdose prevention strategy by promoting the development and promotion of evidence-based treatments for pain.
The guidelines serve as a clinical tool to improve communication between physicians and patients and enable them to make informed decisions about safe and effective pain management. The guidelines are voluntary and provide flexibility to physicians and patients to support an individualized, patient-centered approach to care. They should not be used as rigid policy or law, nor should they replace clinical judgment about personalized care.
CDC followed a rigorous scientific process, using the best available evidence and expert consultation to develop the 2022 Clinical Guidelines. An independent federal advisory committee, four peer reviewers, and members of the public reviewed the draft updated guidelines, and CDC made changes in response to this feedback to ensure a collaborative and transparent process. CDC also engaged patients with pain, their caregivers, and physicians to gain insight and gather feedback from people directly affected by the guidelines. The expanded guidelines aim to ensure equitable access to effective, informed, individualized, and safe pain care.
“The science of pain treatment has advanced significantly over the past six years,” said Debbie Dowell, MD, MPH, CDC’s chief scientific officer for overdose prevention clinical research. “During that time, CDC has also learned more from people living with pain, their caregivers, and their physicians. We’ve been able to improve and expand our recommendations by incorporating new data with a better understanding of people’s real-world experiences and the challenges they face in managing and treating pain.”
CDC will continue to work to improve patient safety and outcomes by providing healthcare providers and patients with the data, tools, and guidance they need to make informed treatment decisions. The 2022 clinical guidelines support patients and physicians working together to make informed, individualized decisions about safe and effective pain management.
Additional materials related to the guideline are available for patients and physicians.