What Does Good Pharmacist-Physician Pain Management Collaboration Look Like?

Physicians and pharmacists have critical roles in addressing the current opioid epidemic and ensuring appropriate care for patients with pain. Both physicians and pharmacists have responsibilities to ensure that opioids are prescribed and dispensed for legitimate medical purposes and to meet legal requirements. Health care systems have implemented policies to curb opioid prescribing and dispensing, but many of these policies place additional pressures on clinicians and can cause friction between physicians and pharmacists. Cases discussed in this article highlight 5 optimal physician and pharmacist behaviors that can help foster better collaboration between these clinicians, improve management strategies, and improve care of patients with pain.