More than “Just Say No”

In 2001, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations issued standards for hospitals designed to draw attention to the underassessment and undertreatment of pain. Many organizations reacted by adopting the “5th vital sign” of pain assessment. The Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating scale was used widely by practices to identify the pain status in all patients. Narcotic prescriptions, which had already been rising, increased even further as providers were “educated” by pharmaceutical companies as to t he safety of opioids.

Source: Medical Clinics of North America - May 4, 2018 Category: Primary Care Authors: Bimal H. Ashar Tags: Foreword Source Type: research