Introduction From 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder has been
used as the simple and valuable pain-relieving guidance in the pharmaceutical pain …

Background: Long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain is becoming increasingly
common in community practice. Concomitant with this change in practice, rates of fatal …

The Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of
Pain recently sponsored the development of evidence-based guidelines for the …

Objective: Opioid pharmacotherapy is now the leading treatment for chronic pain, a problem
that affects nearly one third of the US population. Given the dramatic rise in prescription …

Background Opioids are widely prescribed for chronic nonmalignant pain, often at doses
exceeding those recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, the risk-benefit ratio …

Pain is a complex phenomenon caused by noxious sensory stimuli or neuropathological
mechanisms. An individual's memories, expectations, and emotions modify the experience …

Objective: Despite the heightened urgency of the current prescription opioid crisis, few
psychotherapies have been evaluated for chronic pain patients receiving long-term opioid …

Background: Deaths due to prescription opioid overdoses have increased dramatically. High-
quality guidelines could help clinicians mitigate risks associated with opioid therapy …

Background: To ensure seriously ill people and their families receive high-quality primary
and specialty palliative care services, rigorous methods are needed to prospectively identify …

Poorly controlled pain is a global public health issue. The personal, familial and societal
costs are immeasurable. Only a minority of European patients have access to a …