Introduction and general approach to pain

Summary

This introduction discusses the nuances of becoming comfortable with treating pain, general principles of pain assessment, and pain management. The book provides the clinician with practical information on pain management that can be used while working. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has mandated documentation of pain levels for eating disorder (ED) patients. If an ED has prolonged waiting times or excessive delays, protocols that allow pain management prior to physician assessment should be considered for patients with such diagnoses. Other indications for advanced pain management directives could include obvious fractures, burns or amputations. While initiation of analgesics is improving, we need to improve our rate of recurrent analgesic provision. We can see that pain management is like any aspect of medicine: physician knowledge, physician experience, and patient expectation must all be combined to ensure optimal care.