It’s National Pain Week in Australia and I wanted to share this excellent article by Pain Specialist Dr Michael Vagg, first published in The Conversation. I have huge respect for my colleagues caring for people with persistent pain. It is a challenging specialty, often dealing with complex physical, psychological, social and existential challenges, in the setting of limited resources. We often call upon their services to help manage palliative care patients (particularly with interventions like intrathecal catheters or nerve blocks). Also, as the palliative care approach is being taken earlier in the trajectory of many diseases, we are increasingly caring for patients with persistent pain. – Elissa
How badly do we want to solve this $32bn dollar persistent pain problem?
This week is National Pain Week so it’s only fitting that I should climb onto the soapbox again in support of people with persistent pain, their employers, workmates, friends, and families. The economic burden of persistent pain in our country is enormous, and the arguments in favour of a co-ordinated national response are compelling. The lack of such a political and economic imperative puzzles me. If you don’t believe me, perhaps this will convince you. Continue reading
palliverse.com 