Pain relief at the end-of-life: a clinical guide

Pain at the end-of-life is usually treatable, but most dying patients are under-treated and die in unnecessary pain. This brief overview will serve to describe the problem of pain at the end-of-life, define the relevant ethical, medical, scientific, and societal issues, and present an optimal pain management plan for this vulnerable and important population. The most important factor is for physicians to make pain control a matter of paramount importance in the care of dying patients.