Pain on the streets

[Guest guest]

Riddle me this, sportsfans. How will the new rules about pain management affect

relief of pain in the prehospital arena, where it has traditionally been

undermanaged, if not totally ignored. Since the tools exist for us to manage

most pain emergency patients experience safely out-of-hospital, and since the

old saw about masking symptoms and bolluxing up a diagnosis later is mostly just

smoke, is it possible that medical directors who don't provide reasonable

pain-management protocols and guidelines to their EMS services may be exposed to

legal risk? Is it possible that EMS services that refuse to invest in safe pain

management equipment (like Nitro Nox gear, fer instance) that can answer many of

the concerns about masking symptoms may be vulnerable to legal reprisal? One

medical director I know and respect stated that failure or refusal to provide

adequate pain management in the field is malpractice, and I agree. What opinions

are held by others on the list?

Dave