A Bill of Rights for People With Cancer Pain
It is estimated that over one million people in the U.S. are suffering from cancer pain at this moment. Although effective treatments for pain do exist, many people are reluctant to use them. Why is that so? Unfortunately, health care professionals may not be trained in modern pain relief methods. Also, the use of drugs for pain relief is often confused with the abuse of drugs for recreation. Many patients have difficulty describing their pain, as well as finding someone who can help relieve it. For these and other reasons, many people suffer unnecessarily.
This Bill of Rights for People with Cancer Pain was developed to encourage patients, their loved ones and caregivers to learn the facts about pain and its treatment. Knowledge, good communication, and caring are needed to ensure the best pain relief available.
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1.I have the right to have my pain believed by health professionals, family, friends and others around me. |
The person in pain is the only one who knows how much pain he or she has. Patients should always be encouraged to report and describe their pain as accurately as possible. Health professionals need to acknowledge that stoicism, reluctance to take drugs, cultural differences, feelings of resignation and other factors often inhibit patients from talking about their pain. Health professionals and patients need to work together to identify and remove these obstacles so that pain can be accurately assessed.
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2. I have the right to have my pain controlled, no matter what its cause or how severe it may be. |
Pain must be understood, as well as believed. In recent years, major advances have been made in understanding cancer pain and its effective treatment. People with cancer should expect their health- care team to seek all information and resources necessary to make patients as comfortable as possible.
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3. I have the right to be treated with respect at all times. When I need medication for pain, I should not be treated like a drug abuser. |
Health professionals, the public, law enforcement agents, and even people in pain often believe that using pain-relieving drugs will lead to addiction. Yet this almost never happens. The abuse of drugs is unrelated to the use of drugs for cancer pain treatment. It is normal to want to be comfortable, it is a way of taking care of yourself.
Many of us are fearful about pain medications because we don't know the facts. Health professionals should be expected to know the facts about narcotics and other pain treatments. It is the responsibility of the health care team to help patients and families understand that fears about addiction, sedation and other side-effects are understandable, but often exaggerated. Most side-effects of pain medications are treatable, and should never be used as a reason to discontinue treatment for pain.
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4. I have the right to have pain resulting from treatments and procedures prevented, or at least minimized. |
The treatment of cancer often includes painful tests and procedures. Patients should not be told that pain from treatments is "unavoidable", or that "it won't last long." Pain is suffering, no matter how long it lasts. Worrying about future painful treatment is also suffering. The health-care team must make sure patients know what to expect when undergoing any procedure and prevent or minimize procedure pain as much as possible.
From: Cancer Care. Inc., in cooperation with the Iowa and Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiatives.
