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© 2005 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
Experts Worry About Chilling Effect of Federal Regulations on Treating Pain
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
Undertreated pain is a long-standing problem in health care. The American Cancer Society suggests that up to 50% of seriously ill and dying cancer patients in the United States suffer from pain that could be adequately treated with available drugs. Myriad factors contribute to the problem; chief among them is that many doctors are not well trained in pain management, particularly with opiates such as methadone, morphine, and oxycodone.
But also part of the problem, says Russ Portenoy, M.D., chairman of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Hospital in New York, is that oncologists and physicians alike are increasingly reluctant to prescribe adequate pain relief to their patients because they fear subsequent investigations from law enforcement, particularly the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
"The DEA had previously been viewed [by physicians] as relatively enlightened," Portenoy said. "Sadly, events during the last 6
Fear of Investigation
A Reversal at the DEA
Lawsuits and Pain Management