Pain management experience at a central Taiwan medical center

Pain management is typically more developed in western countries compared to Asia. From the accreditation standard of the Joint Commission International (JCI), there is a broad scope for pain management. In 2008, our medical center established the pain management policy, and the goal is to be a pain-free medical facility. The Framework of Pain Management Policy including: 1. the rights of patients and family members 2. Employee education 3. Assessment of pain (screening, evaluating, monitoring) 4. Patient care of pain. After implementation of pain management program, the compliance of pain assessment, the analysis of pain score before and after pain management and the analysis of Pain Management Index (PMI), all showed improvement in pain management program. The consumption of opioids usage steadily increased from 2010 to 2014. The success of our pain management program implementation could be attributed to the clear pain management policy, the firm support of higher leadership, the cooperation of IT department, and the quality control.