People in pain, often due to cancer or other destructive diseases, have long been in the middle of a debate about how to treat their pain. For many years it was feared that giving those in severe chronic pain strong painkillers might lead to serious drug addictions. This has proved not to be true, but pain treatment and management is still a controversial subject.
Doctors may be reluctant to give patients uncontrolled access to strong pain killing drugs, fearing overuse. After all, many of the drugs used in severe pain management are also those sold and used illegally by people who are addicted to them. Oxycontin is one of the drugs often prescribed for pain management as well as one of the most popular illegally sold drugs.
Patients might also be reluctant to take powerful drugs, fearing dependency or just believing that they should "tough it out."
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found the following:
- Patients were often not instructed in the proper way to take the medication.
- Patients often don't take medication in the way it was prescribed.
- Patients were often not given the option of taking extra medication if the pain was severe.
- Doctors did not always tell patients to take medication on a scheduled basis.
- Patients who were told to take medication "as needed" only reported actually taking the medication about 25 percent of the time they were in severe pain (a pain rating of 6 or 7 on a scale of 10).
Pain management experts recommend:
- Patients with chronic pain should take pain management medication on a scheduled basis – not just when the pain becomes intense.
- Patients should have the option of taking additional medication when pain becomes intense.
- Pain management needs should be assessed on a regular basis, as a person's needs can change over time.
- Pain management should result in patients being without major pain most of the time.
Standards for Pain Treatment
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations has recently instituted new standards for pain treatment in U.S. hospitals.
Pain management is now one of the vital signs to be checked regularly. It is considered as important as pulse and temperature in determining a patient's wellbeing. Patients will regularly be asked to rate the intensity of their pain on a scale from 0 to 10, and children will be asked to point to a smiling or frowning face to indicate their level of pain. The medical staff is required to treat pain. Even after a patient's discharge from the hospital, doctors and nurses will address the patient's pain management needs.
The new standards mandate that healthcare providers be educated in pain assessment and management. They will also be expected to educate patients and their families about the importance of effective pain management. |
