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Perspectives in Intractable Pain Management:
An analysis of current divering viewpoints

Kristin Bundy
For the National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain

Patients' Perspective

 

One out of six households in America contains a member with severe, intractable pain.1 Unfortunately, most of these patients go undertreated because healthcare providers do not provide adequate amounts of opioids to relieve their pain.

Ironically, some patients also perpetuate their own undertreatment of pain because they:

Whether patients report their pain or not, however, undertreatment of pain is usually inevitable. Eventually, unrelieved pain patients may head into a downward spiral of depression4-8 and, perhaps, begin to consider suicide.4,5,9,10

The New Paradigm creates a new transition in thought that educates patients about pain treatment, empowers patients to seek appropriate relief, and helps patients avoid depression and thoughts of suicide.

 

Reference List

  1. The Mayday Fund. New survey finds broad support among Americans of physicians prescribing high doses of pain medication, such as morphine, for severe pain. Available at: http://www.pain.com/news/Mayday.cfm
  2. Barnebei R, et el. Management of pain in elderly patients with cancer. JAMA. 1998;279(23):1877-1882.
  3. Patients Face Numerous Barriers to Receiving Appropriate Pain Treatment. American Medical Association (News Release, July 1997). Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/sci-news/1997/ snr0716.htm#briden
  4. Brownlee S, Schrof JM. The Quality of Mercy. US News & World Report. 1997;122(10). Available at: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/970317/17pain.htm
  5. Sullum J. No Relief in Sight. Reason. 1997;28(8). Available at: http://www.reasonmag.com/9701/fe.jacob.html
  6. Marks EM, Sachar EJ. Undertreatment of medical inpatients with narcotic analgesics. Ann Intern Med.  1973;78:173-181.
  7. The painful dilemma: the use of narcotics for treatment of chronic pain. Sacramento, CA, Sacramento-El Dorado Medical Society, 1990.
  8. Angarola RT, Wray SD. Legal impediments to cancer pain treatment. In: Hill CS, Fields WS, eds. Advances in Pain Research and Therapy. Vol 11. New York, NY: Raven; 1989:213-231.
  9. Pain Killer [transcript]. "60 Minutes." CBS television. May 25, 1997.
  10. Gorman C. The case for morphine. Time. 1997;149(17). Available at: http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/1997/dom/970428/ medicine.the_case_for.html
  11. Wells N, Johnson RL, Wujcik D. Development of a Short Version of the Barriers Questionnaire. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998;15(5):294-298.
  12. Thomason TE, McCune JS, Bernard SA, et al. Cancer Pain Survey: Patients-Centered Issues in Control. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998;15(5):275-284.
  13. Bostrom M. Summary of the Mayday Fund Survey: Public Attitudes About Pain and Analgesics. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1997;13(3):166-168.
  14. Hale KL. Cancer pain treatment: overcoming the barriers. MD Anderson Oncolog. 1995;40(3). Available at: http://www.mdacc.tmc.edu/~oncolog/manage.html
  15. Melzack R. Tragedy of Needless Pain. Sci Am. 1990;262(2):27-33.
  16. Ravenscroft PJ. Use of opioids in treating chronic pain. Available at: http://www.win.bright.net/%7Edavidk/opioduse698.htm
  17. Gianelli DM. Controlling chronic pain: groups release guidelines for opioid use. American Medical Association (News Release, March 1997). Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/newsline/special/ amnews/amn0317.htm

Back to Table of Contents

Introduction
Definitions and Background Information
Governments' and State Medical Boards' Perspective
Healthcare Professionals’ Perspective
Patients’ Perspective
NEXT: The Healthcare Reimbursement System’s Perspective
Intractable Pain Management Updates

 

 

 

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