Matthew Slitzky,1 R Jason Yong,2 Giuliano Lo Bianco,3 Trent Emerick,4 Michael E Schatman,5,6 Christopher L Robinson2

1Burke Rehabilitation, Montefiore Health System, White Plains, NY, USA; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 3Anesthesiology and Pain Department, Fondazione Istituto G. Giglio Cefalù, Palermo, Italy; 4Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Chronic Pain Division, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 5Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 6Department of Population Health-Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Correspondence: Christopher L Robinson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA, Email [email protected]

View the original paper by Dr Slitzky and colleagues

This is in response to the Letter to the Editor

We want to thank the authors for their input as our goal with this editorial was to spark discussion regarding the future of pain medicine.1,2 However, as this was an editorial piece, no control was necessary, as its purpose is to inspire dialogue and present views on these topics, as opposed to providing a systematic evaluation. The authors mention a concern for professional barriers, however our goal for artificial intelligence is to reduce the complexity of utilizing these technologies. Why make something overly complicated if it is meant to improve our lives?

We do agree with you that input from many different fields including representation from different backgrounds and cultures is necessary to ensure proper representation. One way to achieve this is through a diverse team, especially from the start. As we have mentioned in our prior response, our diversity can be reflected in our author list as we do not come from one single specialty but several. While different communities, regions, and countries have varied access to medical resources, the inherent limitations of an editorial restricted how in-depth we could discuss topics. Fortunately, projects in developing countries are underway as our team saw the need across the globe. We aim to lower the point of entry so that these technologies can be widely available and personalized to meet the user’s abilities.

CLR is a consultant for Augmend Health. GLB reported personal fees from Abbott and Stryker. MSc is a senior medical advisor for Apurano Pharma, outside the submitted work. TE has stock in Vanish Therapeutics. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this communication.

1. Guan Y, Zhang J, Cai L. Response to “the future of pain medicine: emerging technologies, treatments, and education” [Letter]. J Pain Res. 2024;17:4447–4448. doi:10.2147/JPR.S510999

2. Slitzky M, Yong RJ, Lo Bianco G, Emerick T, Schatman ME, Robinson CL. The future of pain medicine: emerging technologies, treatments, and education. J Pain Res. 2024;17:2833–2836. doi:10.2147/JPR.S490581

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