Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How every doctor should address a patient’s pain

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
Conditions
August 15, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

From medical school to residency, I’ve worked with colleagues who don’t prescribe pain medications for their patients who truly need them. Or they are just very hesitant about doing so. Some simply don’t believe in them. Others fear the legal implications like being named to a med mal or wrongful death lawsuit. And several avoid pain meds, specifically opioids, like the plague because of possible addiction risk even when their long-standing home med is an opioid prescribed by their PCP.

When it came to working with residents who didn’t believe in the efficacy of pain meds, it became a literal pain (pun intended) for me, the nurses, and the patient. The pain ladder exists for a reason: Tylenol to Tramadol to Norco. Not believing a patient is in pain, or at worse believing they can tough it out, is dangerous. Pour wound healing, infections, heart strain (even worse for patients with heart problems), poor sleep, anxiety, and depression are only a fraction of the possible complications. More doctors need to realize that not treating a patient’s pain can lead to a rabbit hole of consequences.

So how should a doctor approach pain? Of course, we start with the basics: Is the patient on any pain meds currently? Any opioids? Is this pain different from their usual pain? How bad is their pain?

But even before that, we must think about the cause because pain is an underdiagnosed diagnosis. Or at worse, diagnosed but grossly undermanaged. Oftentimes, the cause is clear-cut. A patient just had surgery, or a patient has cancer. A patient was in an accident or had a fall. But, what if the patient has pain stemming from a less clear or more complicated cause? Like psychological distress or CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome)? What about radiculopathy or drug toxicity? And sometimes, a patient has pain with no identifiable cause or pain due to overall poor health (smoking, obesity, sleep deprivation, etc.).

Coming down to it, the approach to pain should be the physician at the very least showing sympathy to the patient. Every single one of us has been in pain at some point in our lives. So we all know what pain feels like and what it can do to a person’s physical body and mental state. To shrug off a patient’s ask for something for pain because it isn’t the main problem is careless and disheartening. Pain should be taken seriously because it can be debilitating to the patient.

Yes, as doctors, we must be aware of how many pain meds the patient is getting, does their regimen consist of an opioid, and what exactly is their history of taking pain meds. We have to do our due diligence while at the same time not ignoring what the patient in front of us is saying and how they appear to our eyes. If a patient’s pain is uncontrolled, it can quickly lead to them distrusting the care team and medicine. They would no longer want to participate in their own care, which defeats the patient-centered care model we all like to champion, but only a few of us do so. Let’s do better when it comes to addressing a patient’s pain.

Ton La, Jr. is a physician and can be reached on LinkedIn.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Academic medicine on life support: a letter to a newly appointed CEO of a leading academic medical institution

August 15, 2022 Kevin 1
…
Next

A medical student's advocacy journey [PODCAST]

August 15, 2022 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Pain Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Academic medicine on life support: a letter to a newly appointed CEO of a leading academic medical institution
Next Post >
A medical student's advocacy journey [PODCAST]

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

  • Pain and laughter for a veteran patient

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • Unlock the secrets to aging gracefully: specialized care and support for elderly patients

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Blame the pain, not the opioids

    Angelika Byczkowski
  • Every patient has a story

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • How to get the doctor to really see you

    Michael L. Millenson
  • 5 things I wish I had known earlier about chronic pain

    Tom Bowen
  • A patient’s opposition to the anti-opioid movement

    Angelika Byczkowski

More in Conditions

  • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

    Kara Wada, MD
  • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

    Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH
  • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

    Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD
  • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

    Kristen Cline, BSN, RN
  • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

    George F. Smith, MD
  • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

How every doctor should address a patient’s pain
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...