Joint Commission Focuses on Pain Management
From: Helen Dynda (olddad66@runestone.net)
Mon Apr 24 14:55:33 2000
The information below is from the following web site:
http://www.pain.com/news/jcaho_standards_consumers.cfm
[] Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
Sets New Standards for the Assessment and Management of Pain * -- August
3, 1999
Recognizing pain as a major, yet largely avoidable, public health
problem, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations has developed standards that create new expectations for
the assessment and management of pain in accredited hospitals and other
health care settings. These standards have been endorsed by the
American Pain Society.
Hospitals, home care agencies, nursing homes, behavioral health
facilities, outpatient clinics and health plans will be called upon to:
* recognize the right of patients to appropriate assessment and
management of pain;
* assess the existence and, if so, the nature and intensity of pain in
all patients;
* record the results of the assessment in a way that facilitates regular
reassessment and follow-up;
* determine and assure staff competency in pain assessment and
management, and address pain assessment and management in the
orientation of all new staff.
* establish policies and procedures which support the appropriate
prescription or ordering of effective pain medications;
* educate patients and their families about effective pain management,
and;
* address patient needs for symptom management in the discharge planning
process.
I have excerpted the following comments from the above article:
The new standards explicitly acknowledge that pain is a co-existing
condition with a number of diseases and injuries, and require explicit
attention.
Unrelieved pain has enormous physiological and psychological effects on
patients. The Joint Commission believes the effective management of
pain is a crucial component of good care. Research clearly shows that
unrelieved pain can slow recovery, create burdens for patients and their
families, and increase costs to the health care system.
The new pain management standards - along with examples of compliance -
are being included in 2000-2001 standard manuals for the affected Joint
Commission accreditation programs.
These standards are putting the importance of pain management at center
stage, ensuring that health care providers and professionals will take
pain management in a serious way.
````````````````````````
The 15th century proverb which summarizes the purpose of medicine is:
* To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always. *
|
