title: Good state policy may not mean good pain care, but policy improvement offers hope for further progress: response to the Wahowiak article.
abstract: Lindsey Wahowiak's late-2014 article discussing the status of pain management in the United States references findings from the University of Wisconsin Pain & Policy Studies Group's (PPSG) policy evaluation reports as supporting her conclusions. This commentary clarifies that the PPSG reports do not gauge the extent of pain care in each state, but rather how they relate to the quality of policies governing such treatment. This commentary also further supports Ms. Wahowiak's emphasis that influencing clinical pain outcomes is multifaceted and requires a multifaceted response. Importantly, policy change, along with its broad and continued communication and implementation, should be considered as only one of many crucial elements in providing quality pain management.
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gilson
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States
keywords: legislation and regulations; pain; palliative care; state policy; treatment barriers