Pain Information at your Fingertips

Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics
Article Date: 03 Feb 2005 - 20:00 PDT


A group of leading European pain and palliative care specialists have joined forces in an attempt to reduce the worryingly high levels of under-treatment of chronic pain across Europe, through the launch of an innovative new magazine-style pain management publication, paineurope(tm) and http://www.paineurope.com (tm).

Working with well-known UK-based healthcare publisher, Haymarket Medical Publishing Ltd, publisher of GP Magazine and MIMS in the UK, and supported by Mundipharma International Ltd, the Open Minds (Opioids and Pain European Network of Minds - http://www.openmindsonline.org) group of pain-focused physicians hope their unique and free of charge quarterly magazine will achieve the following aims:

-- Increase levels of understanding of the complex world of pain management

-- Build awareness of the need to manage pain as a condition in its own right and

-- Improve knowledge of therapy options, with a specific focus on the appropriate use of opioid-based treatment.

The paineurope(tm) journal (also available at http://www.paineurope.com) has been designed to fill the gap of providing easy to access and easily digestible pain management-related news and features left by the more traditional academic journals. Written by leading specialists from across Europe and beyond, paineurope(tm) contains feature articles on treatment based issues, news updates, clinical comparisons, a research round-up and an interactive question and answer section.

Professor Margarita Puig of the OPEN Minds group believes: "It became strikingly obvious from the Pain in Europe Survey [i] (http://www.paineurope.com) that there is a huge need for more dialogue on the subject of chronic pain. A huge number of consultations are initiated because of pain and it is time that doctors gave pain the priority it deserves."

The joint editors and editorial board are all members of the OPEN Minds group [ii], which is made up of senior pain and palliative care experts from across Europe who were provoked into action by results of the Pain in Europe Survey [iii], the largest ever study into the prevalence and impact of chronic pain. With one in five European adults suffering from long term persistent pain, many of the survey's respondents were critical of the level of understanding and interest their physicians had in managing their pain. 28% felt their doctor didn't know how to manage their pain and only 10% of physicians used pain measurement techniques. The launch of the first sustained-release opioid revolutionised pain management but even after 25 years since their introduction in Europe it is still clear that much more education on the management of severe chronic pain is needed.

Dr Eero Vuorinen, Head of Pain Clinic at Kymenlaakso Central Hospital, Finland, added: "There are many issues, questions and initiatives surrounding pain and its treatment, and the paineurope(tm) journal now provides a platform for professionals with an interest in pain management to share ideas and best practice."

Translated into five languages (English, German, French, Spanish & Italian), paineurope(tm) and http://www.paineurope.com (tm) are available free of charge to healthcare professionals who have an interest in managing pain. To register for access to the online version log onto http://www.paineurope.com (tm) or to receive a paper copy please email paineurope@haynet.com.

For further information please contact:

Sandie Pears
Haymarket Medical Publishing Ltd
+ 44 (0) 20 8267 4823

[i] http://www.painineurope.com Pain in Europe Survey was funded by an educational grant from Mundipharma International Ltd, Cambridge, UK.

[ii] For more information on OPEN Minds, visit www.openmindsonline.org

[iii] http://www.paineurope.com

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