Joint Commission Urges Patients To 'Speak Up' About Pain - Education Campaign Co

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Joint Commission Urges Patients To 'Speak Up' About Pain - Education

Campaign Coincides With Pain Awareness Month

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/121776.php

Pain is just a part of life, right? Maybe not. Pain is actually one

the main reasons that Americans seek medical treatment, and untreated

pain can have serious effects - slowed recovery times, poor quality

of life and higher health care costs.

The Joint Commission is launching a national campaign to help

Americans work with their health care professionals to better manage

pain. The new education campaign is part of The Joint Commission's

award-winning Speak Up™ program that helps patients become more

informed and involved in their health care, and coincides with Pain

Awareness Month in September.

" Effective pain management is a crucial component of good health

care, and treating pain is the responsibility of all caregivers, "

says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint

Commission. " The Joint Commission encourages patients to ask the

right questions so that they can find relief. "

Beginning in 2000, The Joint Commission has made pain assessment and

management a priority in its national standards and accreditation

process. The new campaign includes a brochure entitled " What You

Should Know about Pain Management, " which identifies questions and

answers that will help patients find out more about pain treatments

that can be used for pain caused by injury, illness, or surgery.

Among the topics are: talking about and describing pain,

understanding pain treatments, managing pain, and questions to ask

caregivers. The brochure encourages patients to ask their caregivers

specific questions about pain medication, including doses and times

that medication should be taken, side effects, how long the

medication will take to work, and what to do if the medication does

not work.

The framework of the Speak Up™ program urges patients to:

Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't

understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.

Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting

the right treatments by the right health care professionals. Don't

assume anything.

Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are

undergoing, and your treatment plan.

Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.

Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication

errors are the most common health care errors.

Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care

organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against

established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as

that provided by The Joint Commission.

Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center

of the health care team.

Speak Up™ brochures also are available on understanding caregivers,

understanding medical tests, recovering after leaving the hospital,

preventing medication mistakes, preventing infections, preparing to

become a living organ donor, avoiding wrong site surgery and

preventing errors in care. Brochures can be found at

http://www.jointcommission.org. All of the Speak Up™ brochures are

available in an easy-to-read format and in Spanish.