Collaborative care with hospice to help Richard and Irene: a case study.

Pain management has been shown to be an area that has been neglected in health care. Health care professionals need to become educated in the importance of addressing and managing pain. Narcotic pain relievers carry many negative connotations to both patients and health care staff. While there are many non-pharmacologic methods of pain management that should be incorporated into patient care, medication management is an area with which we must be comfortable.