Pain Still Hurts: Can We Do Better For Our Patients?

ABSTRACT

Reports of three cases in which patients’ pain was previously inadequately treated prior to referral and how it was addressed in a pain clinic are presented. The impact of polypharmacy on medication adherence, fear of opioids among patients and staff, and of stoicism in pain patients is discussed.

KEYWORDS :

• Opioids
• opiophobia
• pain
• pain clinic
• polypharmacy
• stoicism