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Pain Guidelines Encourage Vigilance
Brian Vastag
JAMA. 2002;287:3067-3068.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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Washington—Placebos for pain are patently unethical, according to American Geriatrics Society (AGS) guidelines unveiled at the group's annual meeting here in May. "I've been amazed at how many seemingly high quality institutions allow the use of placebos postsurgery or for cancer-related pain," said Perry Fine, MD, professor of anesthesiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine and one of the guideline's coauthors. "They still view pharmacological interventions as so dangerous that they want to fool patients into thinking pain is controlled."
That message, the first such declaration from the group, accompanies a host of other pointers directed at persuading physicians and patients that "pain doesn't have to come with aging." The group is encouraging physicians to evaluate every older patient for pain, paying particular attention to those with cognitive or other disorders that may limit communication.
DON'T GRIN AND BEAR IT
Simple strategies can uncover remediable . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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