Impact of Pain on the Individual and Others

Chapter 3 describes how pain is a powerful stressor that aids in surviving an injury and how the resultant physiologic stressors put vulnerable patients at risk for pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, metabolic, and psychosocial complications. The timeliness and efficacy of pain control contribute to health outcomes. Of the estimated 30% of adults who develop chronic pain, these individuals face increased risk for an impoverished, premature death. Pain is a biopsychosocial experience that undermines health, activities, and enjoyment of life. Unless assessed and treated properly, pain devalues important things in the life of the sufferer, often leading down a path to disability and despair. Pain is always a combined physical, mental, and social experience that often partially responds to properly targeted therapy. Disparities are common in the way pain is managed and may relate to factors at the patient, provider, organizational, or payer levels. Thus, healthcare professionals who interact with people experiencing pain have a duty to dampen the biopsychosocial impact of pain to help them think, feel, and do better. Given potential harm related to analgesics or invasive treatments, ethical practices involve advocating for delivering personalized treatments, with vigilant monitoring to avoid potential harm.