Pain gap between doctors and patients

NASHVILLE, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- There is a sizable gap between patients and healthcare professionals when it comes to understanding and discussing pain, a group of U.S. pain experts said.

Members of the Let's Talk Pain Coalition said they are trying to unite the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to encourage people to talk more about pain, listen actively, and act in ways that improve care for the millions of people who live with pain.

The organizations has created an interactive Web site, www.letstalkpain.org, to provide visitors with comprehensive information and tools to help enhance the dialogue between those affected by pain and healthcare professionals.

"Pain is one of the nation's leading public health problems, and it often goes under-treated. It is difficult to diagnose and challenging to talk about," Dr. Scott Fishman, president of the American Pain Foundation and of the University of California at Davis, said in a statement.

Fishman said a survey found 60 percent of patients strongly agreed that they can be open and honest about their pain with their physician, yet less than 10 percent of physicians strongly agreed that their patients tell them the truth about their pain; while 97 percent strongly agreed that there is enough time to discuss pain with their patients, but 46 percent of patients agree.