painlaw.org : Patients' Right to Palliative Care : What to Do If Pain Isn't Treated

Studies confirm that far too many Americans die in pain in our hospitals and nursing homes, and that many patients who are not terminally ill suffer unnecessarily from a painful disease or condition. Physicians have an ethical, moral and legal obligation to manage pain or to refer the patient to another doctor who is competent and willing to do so. Nonetheless, reality often intrudes. This document is a self-help guide for patients and their family, friends and advocates on what to do when if doctors or nurses refuse to acknowledge and treat pain.

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This content is provided by the Project on Palliative Care Law of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. For more information visit the Project's web site at www.painlaw.org.