The Joint Commission's pain management standards: 5 key notes

The Joint Commission released a statement on pain management, focusing on the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Some have blamed The Joint Commission's pain standards for the over-prescription epidemic; the organization's standards require patients assessments for pain and managing patients appropriately. The standards do no require drug prescription for pain management.

Here are five key notes about the standards.

1. The standards are:

• The hospital educates all licensed independent practitioners on assessing and managing pain.
• The hospital respects the patient's right to pain management.
• The hospital assesses and manages the patient's pain.

2. The Joint Commission requires the hospital to conduct a comprehensive pain assessment consistent with its scope of care, treatment and services. The treatment should also take the patient's age, condition and ability to understand the situation into consideration.

3. After the initial assessment, the hospital should reassess and respond to the patient's pain based on reassessment criteria.

4. The hospital can either treat the pain or refer patients to a specialist for treatment. The strategy should be a patient-centered approach and consider the patient's current condition as well as the healthcare provider's judgment.

5. Misconceptions about The Joint Commission's standards regarding pain include:

• The Joint Commission endorses pain as a vital sign
• The Joint Commission requires pain assessment for all patients
• The Joint Commission requires that pain be treated until the pain score reaches zero
• The Joint Commission standards push doctors to prescribe opioids
• The Joint Commission pain standards caused the rise in opioid prescriptions

The organization is working to dispel these misunderstandings.

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