Informative Healthcare Resources You Can Use

Within the last decade, the internet has become a mecca of information. More and more people are turning to the web to find helpful information with the push of a button. But with so much content to sort through, how do people recognize valuable and factual information?

We’ve compiled a list of healthcare resources that might be helpful to people seeking additional information about health, medications and pain. 

Medication

• Have you ever found a stray pill and wondered what it was? Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications can be identified by the markings on the pill. You can use any number of available pill identifiers, including shape, color and imprint, to find out what a pill is.
• Understanding proper storage and safeguarding prescription medication is an important step towards keeping the people who have access to your medicine cabinet safe.
• The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offers helpful drug disposal information and also organizes a prescription drug take back day semi-annually where participants can drop off their unused or unwanted prescriptions at a local collection site.
• Substance abuse is an epidemic that has taken our nation by storm. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers free and confidential information in English and Spanish for individuals and family members facing substance abuse and mental health issues.
• IWP’s very first drug trends report, Work Comp Pharmacy: A Front-Line Perspective, identifies trends and challenges within workers' comp, including the opioid epidemic and high-risk prescribing.

Pain Management

• Often, visuals like videos or infographics can be easier in explaining the complex process of pain and why things hurt. When it comes to understanding some of the complexities of pain, videos like this can help put all the parts together in a simple, accessible way. 
• The American Chronic Pain Association is a great source of information on pain management and has tools and videos available from various healthcare professionals.
• The National Pain Strategy outlines actions for improving pain care in America. Their ACPA Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Treatment explains how biology, psychology and social factors play a role in pain.
• You can find an abundant amount of information on chronic pain, including webinars, infographics and fact sheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• IWP’s Patient Pain Resource for Injured Workers provides injured workers with an informational guide on pain management and how pain works.

Caregivers

• Caregivers play a big role in an injured workers life and their recovery. It’s important for caregivers to have tools to track and understand pain, and to find ways of taking care of themselves, too.
• After a catastrophic workers’ compensation accident, IWP provided unparalleled care through medication management to an Alaskan injured worker, his family and treatment team.
• Families of injured individuals can also be affected by pain and some programs are specifically designed to help and support people and their families with pain and workplace injuries. Kids Chance, Inc. provides scholarships to children affected by a workplace injury.

As content topics in healthcare and workers' compensation continue to grow, it’s imperative to use your best judgement when taking the advice from an internet article. Always consult with your healthcare provider, or an IWP Pharmacist, before making any changes to your medication routine or your treatment plan.

References to non-IWP sites on the Internet are provided as a service to IWP readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations or their programs by IWP. IWP is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.