Airing Pain 85: Pain in Europe

Why pain is a matter of life and death, the struggle for diagnosis and challenging misperceptions of palliative care

This edition is funded by Grünenthal.

Around 20 per cent of Europe’s adult population live with chronic pain and the consequences for individuals and society are devastating. In this edition of Airing Pain we head to the Societal Impact of Pain meeting in Brussels to hear from the patients, healthcare professionals and policy makers coming together to improve the lives of people in pain across the continent.

Dr Chris Wells explains why pain management is a matter of life and death and how to put pain higher up the political agenda. MEP Theresa Griffin takes up the baton with a call to make the workplace accessible to those living with pain.

Jane Moejlink describes the challenges of getting a diagnosis for interstitial cystitis and Sjögren’s syndrome in the face of sceptical doctors and the language barrier, while Professor Ilora Finlay makes the case for a different view of palliative care. Plus: an update from Ireland and bursting balloons to raise awareness.

Issues covered in this programme include: Misconceptions, palliative care, policy, educating healthcare professionals, epidemiology of pain, funding of pain services, accessibility in the workplace, GP, neuropathic pain, raising awareness, chronic pain as a condition in its own right, patient voice and cancer.

Contributors:

• Dr Chris Wells, President of the European Pain Federation (EFIC®)
• Jane Meijlink, Chairman of the International Painful Bladder Foundation
• Dr Martin Johnson, Chronic Pain Lead at the Royal College of General Practitioners and Co-Chair of the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition
• Ilora Finlay, Professor of Palliative Medicine, Cardiff University
• John Lindsay, Chairperson, Chronic Pain Ireland
• Joop van Griensven, President, Pain Alliance Europe
• Theresa Griffin, MEP for the North West of England.

More information:

• The Societal Impact of Pain Platform.