Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians

This Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians contains highlights from the Clinical Practice Guideline on Management of Cancer Pain , which was developed by a private-sector panel of health care providers and consumers. Selected aspects of evaluating and managing pain in adults with cancer pain are presented. Topics covered include initial assessment, pharmacologic treatment, administration of medications, side effects of medications, adjuvant medications, cognitive-behavioral interventions, and discussion of other more invasive palliative techniques, A flowchart is included that shows the sequence of events in evaluating and managing cancer pain, as well as drug dosing tables and forms to assist the clinician and patient to adequately describe and assess pain.
The Clinical Practice Guideline , a critical synthesis of research and knowledge in the field, is designed to help any clinician working with cancer patients in any setting. The Guideline presents a thorough discussion of ways to manage procedure-induced pain and invasive modalities of pain control therapy, for use when simpler methods do not control pain. It also devotes considerable attention to pain control in special populations, including patients with concurrent medical and substance abuse problems, those with psychiatric problems related to pain and cancer, and members of minority and ethnic groups. Because pain problems in patients with HIV/AIDS are often assessed and treated using the same approaches as those used for cancer pain, HIV/AIDS pain is described as well. Practitioners should review the Clinical Practice Guideline carefully to become familiar with the various options for management of cancer pain and then use the Quick Reference Guide to help them remember the major points in managing cancer pain.