Montreal, May 11, 2001: -- Within Canada's healthcare system, there exists a severe undertreatment of pain. To address this worrying situation the Canadian Pain Society today launched an aggressive new initiative - the Patient Pain Manifesto. This public awareness and education program will be aimed at alerting and educating hospital patients, and their families, regarding their rights in the management of their pain.

High levels of pain are frequently associated with being in hospital. It may have been pain that caused the hospital visit --or pain may be the result of surgery, tests or other treatments. However, most pain can be relieved.

"The Patient Pain Manifesto was developed by the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) as a 'Bill of Rights' for to clearly communicate to hospital patients and their families their rights regarding treatment of pain resulting from surgery, treatments, or illness" said Dr. Celeste Johnston, Professor at the School of Nursing, McGill University in Montreal, and President of CPS. "Studies show that a surprising number of patients believe that suffering is part of being in hospital and being ill. We want to make sure that patients with pain are fully aware that they have the right to receive treatment that will keep their pain under control, and help them reclaim their lives."

Many members of the Canadian Pain Society are on the leading edge of pain research and treatment. They know that one of the underlying causes of unnecessary acute pain is the lack of awareness among patients that they have the right to have their pain treated.

In fact, pain can be extremely harmful; it can result in more complications, longer hospital stays, greater disability and potentially long-term pain. Persistent pain can be difficult to treat, but every attempt should be made to do so. Acute pain is easier to treat with a number of options available, which include a wide range of drugs as well as non-pharmacological techniques.

Awareness and education are of primary importance; patients need to know that pain is a medical condition that can -- and should -- be treated, just as infection, diabetes or high blood pressure are treatable.

But, in order for health professionals to treat the pain, the patient or their family must report the type and level of pain to their caregiver. The CPS Patient Pain Manifesto provides a tool to help them do this. Health professionals then have a responsibility to assess pain routinely, to believe the patients' pain reports and to help prevent the pain.

Also to be remembered is that very young children and some elderly patients may be unable to 'voice' how much they are hurting. Family members and healthcare professionals need to find ways to interpret facial expressions, and other forms of non-verbal communication.

Goals for the future of this national educational and awareness initiative by the Canadian Pain Society include:

• Ensure adequate education of medical and nursing students during their training


• Provide more continuing education opportunities to health care professionals on the assessment and management of pain


• Work more closely with patients to determine areas of need


• Work more closely with industry to market educational materials


• Distribute 1,000,000 bookmarks to patients, their families and health professionals


• Distribute 10,000 posters to healthcare professionals and clinics

The Patient Pain Manifesto is sponsored by grants from: Janssen-Ortho Inc, Purdue Pharma, Pharmacia Canada, and Pfizer Canada Inc.; also the Canadian Consortium on Pain Mechanisms, Diagnosis & Management.

The Patient Pain Manifesto was announced during the Annual Conference of the Canadian Pain Society, at the Delta Montreal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.

About the Canadian Pain Society (CPS):

The CPS is a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Based in Ottawa, members include heath professionals, scientists, university educators, and corporations. It is the aim of the CPS to help improve the management of patients with acute or chronic pain, through education and research. Web site: canadianpainsociety.ca , Email: cps@is.dal.ca