Canadian Pain Society: Position Statement on Pain Relief

Approved by the Executive of the Canadian Pain Society, December 13, 1997

• Almost all acute and cancer pain can be relieved, and many patients with chronic non-malignant pain can be helped. Patients have the right to the best pain relief possible.
• Unrelieved acute pain complicates recovery. Unrelieved pain after surgery or injury results in more complications, longer hospital stays, greater disability, and potentially long-term pain.
• Routine assessment is essential for effective management. Pain is a subjective and highly variable experience. Therefore, patients' self-report of pain should be used whenever possible. For patients unable to report pain, a non-verbal assessment method must be used.
• Health professionals have a responsibility to assess pain routinely, to believe patients' pain reports, to document them, and to intervene in order to prevent pain.
• The best pain management involves patients, families, and health professionals. Patients and families must be informed that they have a right to the best pain relief possible and encouraged to communicate the severity of their pain.
• Patients, families, and health professionals need to understand pain management strategies, including non-pharmacological techniques and the appropriate use of opioids.

Consensus statement and guidelines from the Canadian Pain Society, 2002

Patient Pain Manifesto

Pain Management Guidelines/Position Statements from the Provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons International Pain Guidelines and Publications