"Unbalanced and misleading media coverage on the abuse of opioid analgesics not only perpetuates misconceptions about pain management; it also compromises the access to adequate pain relief sought by over 75 million Americans living with pain.
"In the past several years, there has been growing recognition on the part of health care providers, government regulators, and the public that the undertreatment of pain is a major societal problem.
"Pain of all types is undertreated in our society. The pediatric and geriatric populations are especially at risk for undertreatment. Physicians' fears of using opioid therapy, and the fears of other health professionals, contribute to the barriers to effective pain management."
American Medical Association, "About the AMA Position on Pain Management Using Opioid Analgesics," 2004.
Note: This report no longer available on the AMA's website, however its content is discussed in "California law eases threat to pain medication prescribers," American Medical News, Sept. 13, 2004.
http://www.amednews.com/artic…
