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June 2007 E-Newsletter
gotoWI Board of Nursing Issues White Paper on Pain
gotoTexas Improves Prescribing Law, Establishes Pain Committee
gotoNY Times Magazine Cover Story Examines Prescribing for Pain
gotoASPI Endorses National Pain Care Policy Act

WI Board of Nursing Issues White Paper on Pain

The State of Wisconsin’s Board of Nursing approved and issued a white paper on pain management drafted in collaboration with the Wisconsin Pain Initiative that communicates to licensed nurses that the undertreatment of pain is a major public health problem, that effective pain management is part of nursing practice, and that excessive and inappropriate concerns about respiratory depression should not lead to nursing practices that deprive patients of appropriate pain relieving medication. The white paper is available at http://drl.wi.gov/boards/nur/

Texas Improves Prescribing Law, Establishes Pain Committee

Legislation (Senate Bill 1879) was recently signed into law in Texas that expands the state’s prescription monitoring program, eliminates the relatively short (7-day) validity period for prescriptions of Schedule II controlled substances, and establishes a Pain Treatment Review Committee to assess how the state’s laws are affecting pain management practice and persons with pain.  Senate Bill 1879 is available online at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

NY Times Magazine Cover Story Examines Prescribing for Pain

The cover story in the June 17, 2007 New York Times Magazine describes the dilemma faced by practitioners who prescribe opioid analgesics for chronic pain.  The article focuses on a South Carolina pain physician convicted of drug trafficking because some of his patients sold their pills and some abused them.  It illustrates the difficulty of providing quality care for persons suffering from chronic pain while also preventing the diversion of pain medications for illicit use.  The article is available online at: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine/index.html

ASPI Endorses National Pain Care Policy Act

The Advisory Council of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI) endorsed the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2007 that will soon be introduced in the U.S. Congress.  The proposed Act calls for more federal investment in pain management including an education and training grant program for health care professionals.  For information about the Act and how your organization can join the coalition of supporters, go to the “Take Action Now” section of the American Pain Foundation’s website at http://www.painfoundation.org/

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    The Alliance of State Pain Initiatives and the University of Wisconsin-Madison do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process described in the E-Newsletter, and the reference to any of these resources does not imply endorsement.

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