Unrelieved pain can leave people feeling helpless, even when they turn to professionals for help. The healthcare system has changed in recent years, and reports of pain are treated more seriously than they once were. But the change is not complete, and sometimes providers of care will not have the training, experience or "bedside manner" that is needed to respond adequately to their patients' pain.
So it's important for people with pain to understand what they have a right to ask for and expect in their professional care. The American Pain Foundation has developed a Pain Care Bill of Rights that lays out those expectations clearly. These rights are not always guaranteed by law, but knowing about them, and insisting on them when necessary, can be a key to good care.
The Pain Care Bill of Rights
As a person with pain, you have the right to:
- Have your report of pain taken seriously and to be treated with dignity and respect by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.
- Have your pain thoroughly assessed and promptly treated.
- Be informed by your healthcare provider about what may be causing your pain, possible treatments, and the benefits, risks and costs of each.
- Participate actively in decisions about how to manage your pain.
- Have your pain reassessed regularly and your treatment adjusted if your pain has not been eased.
- Be referred to a pain specialist if your pain persists.
- Get clear and prompt answers to your questions, take time to make decisions, and refuse a particular type of treatment if you choose.
Reprinted with permission of the American Pain Foundation.