Nurse case management program of chronic pain patients treated with methadone.

Methadone treatment in chronic pain patients is still limited owing to misconceptions about addiction, safety, and its unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Nevertheless, patients with chronic noncancer pain are frequently treated with methadone at our Pain Centre either as the first opioid of choice, for specific pain conditions, or as a second-line opioid in patients developing tolerance or intractable side effects with other opioids. The aim of this study was to examine whether a nurse case management program of chronic pain patients treated with methadone is feasible and safe in trying to improve patients' care in an ambulatory setting.