Ethical decision making in pain management: a conceptual framework

Journal of Pain Research
Ana Sofia CarvalhoMichael E Schatman

Abstract

The practice and study of pain management pose myriad ethical challenges. There is a consensual opinion that adequate management of pain is a medical obligation rooted in classical Greek practice. However, there is evidence that patients often suffer from uncontrolled and unnecessary pain. This is inconsistent with the leges artis, and its practical implications merit a bioethical analysis. Several factors have been identified as causes of uncontrolled and unnecessary pain, which deprive patients from receiving appropriate treatments that theoretically they have the right to access. Important factors include (with considerable regional, financial, and cultural differences) the following: 1) failure to identify pain as a priority in patient care; 2) failure to establish an adequate physician-patient relationship; 3) insufficient knowledge regarding adequate prescription of analgesics; 4) conflicting notions associated with drug-induced risk of tolerance and fear of addiction; 5) concerns regarding "last-ditch" treatments of severe pain; and 6) failure to be accountable and equitable. The aim of this article was to establish that bioethics can serve as a framework for addressing these challenging issues and, from theoretical to p...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 13, 2019·Paediatric Anaesthesia·Naveen Raj
Oct 23, 2019·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Anthony JerantPeter Franks
Nov 5, 2019·Paediatric Anaesthesia·Alyssa M Burgart, Danton Char
Jun 20, 2020·Health Expectations : an International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy·Helena De SolaIsabel Goicolea
Sep 12, 2019·SAGE Open Nursing·Ampicha Nawai
Dec 7, 2020·Journal of Pediatric Nursing·O'Brien M KyololoJulia Songok
Jun 3, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Paulo V SteagallPatricia V Turner
Nov 23, 2021·The Clinical Journal of Pain·Siddika S MulchanWilliam T Zempsky
Jan 26, 2022·Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences·Steinunn Einarsdóttir EgelandAnneli Viktoria Mellblom

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