THE GOAL OF OPTIMUM MANAGEMENT OF PAIN IS TO REDUCE PAIN TO LEVELS THAT ALLOW AN ACCEPTABLE QUALITY OF LIFE

While as much as possible should be done clinically to relieve a patient’s pain, it may not be possible to eliminate pain completely in all patients. The goal of pain management, therefore, is to reduce pain to a level that allows for a quality of life that is acceptable to the patient. The benefit of pain relief must be balanced against

the risk of adverse effects and overdose that may result in respiratory depression.