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Health Care Organizations Urge Hospitals to Treat Pain More Aggressively
Press Release Date: October 12, 1995
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research today announced it
has teamed up with three health care organizations to encourage
hospitals nationwide to become familiar with AHCPR's
post-surgical acute pain guideline and adapt it to their
institutions.
Joining AHCPR in this effort are the American Medical
Association, American Nurses Association and American Hospital
Association.
Under this partnership, the AHCPR-sponsored acute pain guideline
will be mailed to hospitals nationwide, along with a cover letter
describing how other hospitals have successfully used it to help
post-surgical patients better control pain, get out of bed
earlier and recover more rapidly. The guideline was developed by
a private-sector multidisciplinary panel of health care experts
and a consumer. This panel conducted an extensive literature
search and reviewed thousands of medical studies on pain
management.
AHCPR Administrator Clifton R. Gaus, ScD, said, "Many hospitals
across the country are reporting how the acute pain guideline is
helping patients return to activity more quickly, and that their
patients are feeling more satisfied with their care. Through this
partnership, we hope to optimize the treatment of pain and help
improve the quality of patient care."
The guideline—entitled Acute Pain Management: Operative or
Medical Procedures and Trauma—emphasizes an aggressive
approach
to pain management by using a strong, interdisciplinary approach;
involving patients in developing their own pain control plans
prior to surgery; and frequent assessment of patients' pain by
health care professionals. It also recommends that each hospital,
in cooperation with its staff, establish a pain management
quality improvement program.
For additional information, contact AHCPR Public Affairs: Karen Migdail, (301) 427-1855.
AMA Science News Dept. at (312) 464-4430; ANA, Joan Meehan, (202)
651-7020 or Sara Foer, (202) 651-7023; AHA, Etta Fielek,
(202) 626-2358.
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