Table 1.

Considerations for Pain Interventions During COVID-19 Pandemic

Consideration	Questions
Patient’s likelihood of current COVID-19 infection	Has the patient recently completed travel to regions with high incidence or recent surge? Do they report COVID-19–like symptoms?
Immunosuppression occurs in some individuals due to chronic pain	Would the patient’s risk of infection be substantially elevated by undergoing the procedure? Will the procedure improve immune function, through reduced pain or avoiding drugs (anti-inflammatories/opioids)?
Resource availability	Will the procedure require critically limited supplies (certain drugs or PPE) or care (hospital bed)?
Risk of worsening condition	Is the patient’s condition likely to lead to lasting morbidity or mortality if untreated?
Risk of emergency service utilization	Is the patient’s condition likely to become urgent? Is their condition severe and intractable?

Abbreviations: COVID-19, Coronavirus Disease 2019; PPE, personal protective equipment.