Organization of pain management services

Abstract 

Pain is ubiquitous and is common throughout healthcare. Appropriate and timely pain treatment and management is a human right. The knowledge and skills needed to deliver pain treatments should not be confined to specialized centres. It is the duty of all clinicians irrespective of profession to be able to treat patients who suffer with pain. Pain Services should be organized to deliver assessment and treatment for the patient in pain in a timely fashion and in the appropriate place. This may well be in the community or primary care setting as well as in secondary or tertiary care. The treatment of chronic pain can present a significant challenge. Patients often present with complex problems and may need the expertise of a multi-professional team with skills in diagnostics, specific pain therapies, rehabilitation and psychological counselling. Some centres have developed a ‘central intake’, which is designed to ensure that patients referred to the service receive tailored assessment and treatment delivered by the most appropriate healthcare professional and, where possible in their community.

Keywords: central intake, community, pain management programmes