Chronic pain in the outpatient palliative care clinic
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 05/09/2012
Merlin JS et al. – As palliative care continues to move upstream and outpatient palliative care programs develop, palliative care clinicians will be called upon to treat chronic pain. Chronic pain differs from acute pain in the setting of advanced disease and a short prognosis in terms of its etiology, comorbidities—especially psychiatric illness and substance abuse—and management. To successfully care for these patients, palliative care providers will need to learn new clinical competencies. This article will review chronic pain management core competencies for palliative care providers.
