Pain management case study

Veatch, Robert M., and Amy Haddad. Case Studies in Pharmacy Ethics. Oxford Oxford University Press, 2008. The ethical issues relate to difficult decisions faced by pharmacists (rather than pharmaceutical companies). Examples of the topics covered in this book include assisted suicide, conscientious refusal, pain management, equitable distribution of drug resources within institutions and managed care plans, confidentiality, and alternative and nontraditional therapies. Another ethical issue concerns weighing costs and benefits in helping consumers choose drugs. 

Finally, Lee and coworkers reported a higher risk of cardiovascular events with the NSAID use, however most likely to a better pain management, the use of NSAID was associated with lower mortality.[167] In this nested case-control study in a cohort of US veterans (n=500, 000) with a diagnosis of osteoar-thrihs, the adjusted odds ratios for cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events for any NSAID were 1.14 (95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.08-1.21), however, treatment with NSAIDs was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality in both the low (0.72, 95% Cl, 0.68-0.77) and high risk (0.79, 95% Cl, 0.73-0.86) groups. This study highlights the importance of NSAIDs use in patients with osteoarthritis. 

The following case study shows a situation where a physiotherapist working in a pain clinic is involved in the management of a patient. 

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