Ensuring a good death.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this article is to describe how the commitment of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to pain management, quality of life, and optimal end-of-life care is operationalized through a comprehensive pain and palliative-care program.


BACKGROUND
Institutional standards for pain management often address only the physical aspects of pain. Effective pain management requires assessment and interventions that address the multidimensional nature of pain, suffering, and quality of life throughout the cancer continuum. This approach seeks to lay the foundation of comfort and peace associated with a good death.


CONCLUSIONS
Institutional pain management standards need to reflect the complexity of pain, especially cancer-related pain, by emphasizing comprehensive, holistic assessment and multimodality approaches to pain control and quality-of-life issues.
Lynch
Maureen
M
Pain & Palliative Care Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Abrahm
Janet
J
D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*