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Pain management

The article looks at how medical practice should change to give the best patient outcomes.

Author: Catherine Barron

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There comes a point when the doctors have done everything reasonably possible to treat the underlying cause of the pain, but the pain continues. It's at this point that the pain itself becomes a problem to be treated in its own right. You may well have started with a traumatic physical injury but, when the surgeon is done, you are left with the need to control the continuing pain. The difficulty in most hospitals is the department that originally began the treatment, keeps control over you even though it may have no experience in treating pain in its own right. In most cases, this is defensive medicine. Fearing another doctor might find fault with the original treatment, the first in time hold on to you and routinely prescribe painkillers of increasing strength. This is unfortunate but understandable.

One of the growth industries in the US is litigation. Attorneys specializing in tort make their names by taking on big-named corporations and well-known professionals, claiming to have evidence of professional negligence or medical malpractice. In many cases, the insurance companies settle rather than have their insured dragged endlessly through the courts. It can also save a small fortune in legal defense costs. The result is a general agreement among doctors not to find fault with each others' work and, wherever possible, hiding evidence to prevent the claims proceeding. Although it may offer short-term protection to the incompetent, this strategy works against your interests as a patient. If you are suffering continuing pain, you should be offered:

- a review of the treatment to date by an independent expert - if there have been mistakes, it's in your interests to have these corrected. You may never make a proper recovery without effective treatment of the underlying cause.

- an explanation of all the different treatment options once the independent review is completed. This may be surgery or noninvasive procedures, different drugs, physical therapy or counseling.

- a description of the alternative medical treatments like acupuncture. These are treatments for which there is no convincing medical research evidence of effectiveness but, if for nothing other than the placebo effect, it can be worth trying.

The aim should always be to make the best medical decisions. This means starting with no preconceptions, being honest enough to admit if there have been mistakes, and open-minded enough to accept new therapies as of possible assistance. Unfortunately, with tort attorneys standing in the wings to grab evidence of errors, this type of independent inquiry is never going to take place. It will require major changes in the law to give immunity to those offering the initial treatments. This will encourage them to cooperate in the investigation. In the long-term, it also identifies those doctors needing further training. It's better to re-educate failing doctors than to risk more damaged patients in the future. While we wait for all this to happen, it's fortunate we have Tramadol to rely on. This is the world's best painkiller. So take this and watch the world argue and debate how things can change to give you the best treatment. In reality, this is painful to think about. Where's the Tramadol?

About Author

With people around the world thanking him for his professional approach of discussing the topic, Vasia is a frequent writer for http://www.polymeds.net/pain-management.html and is happy to share his vision with you there.

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Pain management