Pain Management

Research and Analysis

Graham, S. Scott. The Politics of Pain Medicine: A Rhetorical-Ontological Inquiry. University of Chicago Press, November 2015. This book offers a rich and detailed exploration of the medical rhetoric surrounding pain medicine. Graham chronicles the work of interdisciplinary pain management specialists to found a new science of pain and a new approach to pain medicine grounded in a more comprehensive biopsychosocial model. His insightful analysis demonstrates how these materials ultimately shape the healthcare community’s understanding of what pain medicine is, how the medicine should be practiced and regulated, and how practitioner-patient relationships are best managed. It is a fascinating, novel examination of one of the most vexing issues in contemporary medicine.

Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
GetPalliativeCare.org
National Palliative Care Research Center ( NPCR)
CAPC/NPCR (October 2015). America’s Care of Serious Illness: 2015 State-by-State Report Card on Access to Palliative Care in Our Nation’s Hospitals. Building on our previous Report Cards of 2008 and 2011, this report tracks the growth of hospital palliative care programs across the fifty states and identifies areas where persistent gaps in access remain. Drawing data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey Database™ from fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and the National Palliative Care Registry™, we examine the prevalence and geographic variation of palliative care in U.S. hospitals. The goal is to both inform the public and policymakers, and to help increase the availability of palliative care for the millions who need it.