When will adequate pain treatment be the norm?
Article Abstract:
Many patients suffer from unrelieved pain despite the best intentions of their physicians. Several organizations have published guidelines on pain management, including the US Public Health Service, the American Pain Society and the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO published guidelines for analgesic use but these guidelines have never been adequately tested. Efforts to improve pain management usually focus on educating physicians. However, it is not clear whether this will change their behavior. Medical schools should include pain management in their undergraduate curricula. Hospitals can also develop quality improvement programs to improve their management of pain. Patients should demand appropriate pain relief in light of evidence showing that few hospital patients become addicted to painkillers.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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A 50-year-old woman with disabling spinal stenosis
Article Abstract:
Spinal stenosis in middle-aged patients can be a challenge to treat. Patients with spinal stenosis have a narrowing of the spine that compresses the lower spinal cord as well as the capillaries and nerve roots. This causes back and leg pain that comes and goes and is more severe during physical activity. The most effective diagnostic tools are an X-ray of the spine or MRI scan. Treatment includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other painkillers, hot and cold packs, massage, acupuncture, acupressure and surgery. Some forms of treatment are not covered by insurance. Surgery can relieve spinal cord compression, but there are few studies evaluating its effectiveness.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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