Related Experiment Videos
Roadblocks to effective pain treatment
R L Stieg1, P Lippe, T A Shepard
1Colorado Compensation Insurance Authority, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA.
The Medical Clinics of North America
|July 1, 1999
Summary
Roadblocks to effective pain treatment exist within and outside the healthcare system. Pain medicine specialty faces identity issues and patient disenfranchisement, hindering effective pain management.
Area of Science:
- Pain Medicine
- Healthcare Systems Analysis
Background:
- Effective pain treatment faces numerous challenges.
- These challenges stem from factors both within and external to the healthcare system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and discuss barriers to effective pain treatment.
- To explore specific challenges faced by the emerging specialty of pain medicine.
- To examine patient disenfranchisement within the American healthcare system.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of systemic and specialty-specific barriers.
- Discussion of healthcare financing impacts on pain management.
Main Results:
- Roadblocks to pain treatment are both intrinsic and extrinsic to healthcare.
- The specialty of pain medicine encounters unique barriers, including lack of recognition.
- Patients served by pain medicine face disenfranchisement and financing challenges.
Conclusions:
- Addressing systemic and specialty-specific barriers is crucial for improving pain management.
- Enhanced recognition and patient advocacy are needed within pain medicine.
- Healthcare financing structures require examination to support effective pain care.