November 04, 2009

 Medical education programs should place more emphasis on training doctors and health professionals to treat chronic pain, according to a report released today by of the Mayday Fund Special Committee on Pain and the Practice of Medicine. "Primary care is the first stop for people in pain, and both the training received by clinicians and the system of care should facilitate best practices in pain care," said Russell Portenoy, M.D., co-chair of the committee and chairman of pain medicine and palliative care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Endorsed by The Joint Commission and 30 other organizations, the report also calls for increased funding for pain management training programs and advocates reframing chronic pain as a chronic illness, among other recommendations. According to the report, chronic pain is the second leading cause of medically-related work absenteeism in the U.S. and disproportionately affects minority and low-income populations.