Towards a better understanding and management of pain: a public health mandate.

摘要

Chronic pain conditions, such as vulvodynia, have become a national health priority in light of numbers that approach 116 million affected persons in the United States alone. The article by Khandker et al. in this issue is timely, as pain was specifically recognized as a major public health problem in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Pain not only affects the quality of life for this large number of sufferers but also carries an annual price tag of up to dollar635 billion, with costs incurred from both medical treatment and lost productivity. In June 2011, the Institute of Medicine study committee's findings and recommendations on chronic pain were released, which highlighted the breadth and needs in this area of medicine. The resultant blueprint challenged the federal government, clinicians, professional organization, educators, and public and private healthcare funders to make chronic pain a priority in the prevention, care, education, and research areas of pain and its consequences.