Misperceptions and fears about pain medications, including the potential risk of criminal charges, tolerance to the medication, and their addictive potential are common causes of undertreatment and reasons for noncompliance by health care professionals as well as consumers. While much has been said about the need to recognize consumers' rights in the area of pain management, the converse must also be emphasized. If a consumer has rights, that consumer also has responsibilities. No effective pain management approach can be successful if the responsibilities are only assumed by health care professionals. I believe that we are truly on the verge of dramatically improved pain management services for our citizenry.
More work lies ahead.
We seek your partnership to begin a public education campaign on the issues of pain management and palliative care. We need your leadership to foster a legal and health insurance environment which recognizes the uniqueness and protects the dignity of each of our people. The issues that have been raised in this report will be circulated to concerned organizations and individuals. In addition, legislation has already been prepared and filed for consideration during the 1997-98 legislative session. It should be noted that this report to the legislature with its numerous recommendations, proposed regulations and legislation is but a first step in a work in progress.