In the face of chronic pain, clinicians seek best practices for management while evading opioid abuse
On April 2, 2016, Judith Paice, PhD, RN, FAAN, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, presented safe and effective opioid prescribing, discussing safety concerns, as well as best practices in oncology, during the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 21st Annual Conference: Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care™. Dr. Paice is a member of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Panel for Adult Cancer Pain. The goal of pain control is balance -- balance of pain relief, enhanced function, and safety of the patient, prescriber, and community, explained Dr. Paice. Proper assessment of the patient is the ideal way to ensure safety for all three parties, she said. Safe Patients Patient assessment not only includes the physical aspects of the pain, but also the effect of the pain on the patient's quality of life; other medications that the patient takes on a regular basis; previous treatments and outcomes; co-mo