Expert consensus of the Chinese Association for the Study of Pain on pain treatment with the transdermal patch

Table 8 Consensus statement of Chinese experts on pain treatment with transdermal patch

Consensus opinion	Recommended strength level of evidence
The effect of the transdermal patch in pain treatment is clear. It has the advantages of reducing adverse drug reactions and improving patient compliance	1A
NSAID transdermal patch is effective in the treatment of chronic skeletal muscle pain with few side effects, which is recommended as the first choice for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain	1A
NSAIDs can be used as a combination therapy for neuropathic pain	2C
When the efficacy of transdermal NSAIDs alone is not good enough, which can be combined with analgesic drugs of another administration route, such as oral NSAIDs	2B
Opioid transdermal patch is effective in the treatment of chronic pain, but it should not be used as the initial treatment for chronic pain due to addiction and adverse reactions	1B
Opioid transdermal patch should not be used in the treatment of acute or breakthrough pain	1A
When other first-line treatment drugs are ineffective, 8% capsaicin patch can be considered for chronic pain related to peripheral neuropathic pain	1B
When other first-line treatment drugs are ineffective, 5% lidocaine patch can be considered for chronic pain related to peripheral neuropathic pain	2B

NSAID: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.