Chronic Pain Management Clinical Philosophy

I want to list below the Seven Point Clinical Philosophy of Pain Management that I developed for our Addiction-Free Pain Management® Centers of Excellence in the United States. I would like to suggest that all treatment programs develop similar philosophies for effective pain management.

1. We believe that each patient’s report of pain is valid. Our approach to assisting the patient is driven by this basic assumption.
2. We treat each patient with dignity, acknowledging their perception of pain and accepting their cultural, spiritual, and psychological values as their reality.
3. Our primary goal is to assist the patient in wisely and skillfully managing their pain experiences, based upon the patient’s stated desire for pain relief.
4. Given the nature of our focus—working with patients addicted to mood altering chemicals—addressing both patients’ pain and their addiction becomes a delicate balance. We will therefore work to complete a comprehensive pain assessment with reassessment at regular intervals taking into account a patient’s progress. This can only be accomplished using a multidisciplinary team approach.
5. Pain will be a component of the patient’s interdisciplinary treatment plan. We educate all clinicians to assure competence in dealing with the addicted patient whose treatment is complicated by coexisting pain issues.
6. Our role is that of advocate for the patient to assist him/her in achieving their recovery goal while providing relief of pain.
7. We have a committee for ongoing examination of our work treating patients with acute and/or chronic pain. If we determine that we are unable to adequately and safely treat a patient with co-occurring pain issues we will offer resources to the patient that may better address his/her pain needs.
   

To learn more about the importance and prerogative of obtaining effective chronic pain management please check out my article The right to Quality Chronic Pain Management that you can download for free on our Ariticles page.

You can learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website http://www.addiction-free.com/ If you are working with people undergoing chronic pain management and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing their chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders including depression, addiction and other coexisting psychological disorders effectively please consider my book Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. To purchase this book please Click Here. Also, please check out my Addiction-Free Pain Management® Workbook. To purchase this workbook please Click Here.

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