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WEBSITES RELATED TO THIS ISSUE'S CONTRIBUTORS:
Cancer Pain Release
www.WHOcancerpain.wisc.edu
Cancer Pain Release is the publication of the World Health
Organization Collaborating Center global communications program
to improve cancer pain control and palliative and supportive care
and is sponsored by the Pain & Policy Studies Group. It is dedicated
to keeping a worldwide and multidisciplinary audience in the health
professions and government abreast of relevant information and developments
in clinical medicine, education, and policy. Sophie Colleau, PhD,
serves as editor. David E. Joranson, MSSW, is a member of the Editorial
Advisory Board and has authored a number of articles in it. Issues
are available in English and Spanish, both online and in print.
This site includes links to WHO guidelines on cancer pain, opioid availability, symptom control and palliative care at www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/eng/Poster2002/poster2002.html.
Volume 12, Number 2, 1999 and Volume 15, Number 1, 2002 of Cancer Pain Release both provide in-depth coverage of palliative care in Latin America. To view these and other archived issues, see the journal's index at www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/contents.html.
Cancer Pain Release reported on the founding of the Latin American Association for Palliative Care (Asociación Latino Americana de Cuidado Paliativo - ALCP) in Buenos Aires, Argentina in April 2001 by six palliative care professionals from the region. The association was established to promote the development of palliative care in Latin America and the Caribbean. Liliana De Lima, MHA, is one of the six founding members. See www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/eng/15_1/alcp.html for more details.
International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC)
www.hospicecare.com
The mission of the IAHPC is to increase the availability and access to high quality hospice and palliative care for patients and families throughout the world by promoting communication, facilitating and providing education, and by becoming an information resource for patients, professionals, health care providers, and policy makers around the world. Liliana De Lima, MHA, serves as executive director. Dr. Eduardo Bruera serves as chairman. The site includes a variety of useful information including a monthly newsletter. To subscribe or read archived issues, go to www.hospicecare.com/pubsindx.htm.
M.D. Anderson Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine Department
www.mdanderson.org/departments/palliative/
M.D. Anderson's Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine Department uses the latest medical advances to help these patients attain the best possible quality of life. Chaired by Eduardo Bruera, MD, the team includes medical oncologists, anesthesiologists, and physical medicine specialists working together to assess and manage severe cancer-related symptoms. Liliana de Lima, MHA, is affiliated with this department.
Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG)
www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy
A WHO Collaborating Center based at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the mission of PPSG is to achieve "balanced" international, national and state policies to ensure adequate availability of pain medications for patient care while preventing diversion and abuse, and to support a global communications program to improve access to information about pain relief, palliative care, and policy. Their work is focused predominately on identifying and addressing the barriers to medical use of opioid analgesics (narcotic drugs), which are essential to pain management and palliative care. David E. Joranson, MSSW, is director of the group.
The PPSG website contains information about policies, barriers, and trends in opioid use in the world, including in Asia, Europe and Latin America at www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy/publicat/monograp/globaltrends.htm.
The self-assessment checklist from the WHO monograph "Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policy" referred to by featured innovator David E. Joranson, MSSW, is available at www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy/publicat/00whoabi/section_x.htm.
The bibliography of PPSG publications and monographs contains an extensive list of materials in English and Spanish, and can be found at www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy/biblio.htm . A number of these publications are cross-referenced and linked to the Read More page of this issue of Innovations.
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
www.paho.org
PAHO is an international public health agency with almost 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas. It is part of the United Nations system, serving as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization, and as the health organization of the Inter-American System. Liliana de Lima, MHA, serves as WHO/PAHO liaison for supportive care.
Project on Death in America (PDIA)
www.soros.org/death
The mission of the Project on Death in America is to understand and transform the culture and experience of dying and bereavement through initiatives in research, scholarship, the humanities, and the arts, and to foster innovations in the provision of care, public education, professional education, and public policy. The Pain & Policy Studies group was profiled in PDIA’s Summer 2002 newsletter which can be read at www.soros.org/death/newsletter10/profile_pain_policy.html.
Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative (WCPI)
www.wisc.edu/wcpi/
The Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative, co-founded by June Dahl, PhD and David E. Joranson, MSSW, in 1986 was the first of many state cancer pain initiatives and became a national model and a World Health Organization demonstration project. It is a member of the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives . Readers can access their own state initiatives from this site, as well as patient, public, and professional education information, regulatory updates, and tools to make pain management a priority in all health care settings. Click on the "Professional Education" tab in the left margin to access copies of Cancer Pain Update, the quarterly newsletter of WCPI, as well as resource materials and pain management links.
World Health Organization (WHO)
www.who.int
The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on April 7, 1948. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The Health Assembly is composed of representatives from WHO's Member States.
For two decades now, the WHO has been advocating for the need to provide pain relief and palliative care. Palliative care is a component of the WHO Cancer Control Program. More information about this program can be found in www.who.int/cancer/main.cfm?p=0000000024.
Pain relief and adequate availability and accessibility to medications has been advocated by Mr. Tokuo Yoshida, director of the Quality Assurance and Safety of Medicines Program in the Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy Division in WHO. More information about this program can be found in www.who.int/medicines/organization/qsm/activities/psychotropic/ps_na.shtml as well as in Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policy—Guidelines for Assessment at www.who.int/medicines/library/qsm/who-edm-qsm-2000-4/who-edm-qsm-2000-4.htm.
Liliana De Lima, MHA serves as a member of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, which provides recommendations to the UN on the level of International Control that medications should have, based on their therapeutic use and abuse potential.
OTHER RELATED WEBSITES:
American Association of Cancer Pain Initiatives (AACPI)
www.aacpi.wisc.edu
The American Association of Cancer Pain Initiatives is a national organization dedicated to promoting cancer pain relief nationwide by supporting the efforts of state and regional Pain Initiatives. The AACPI provides national leadership and advocacy for the Initiative movement, recommends program direction, supports Initiative growth and development, facilitates regular communication among Initiatives, fosters collaborations with other organizations, and organizes an annual national meeting.
American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
www.theacpa.org
With chapters worldwide, the ACPA’s purpose is to provide a support system for those suffering with chronic pain through education and self-help group activities. The ACPA Medication and Chronic Pain Supplement (2002) includes a section on the role of opioid medication in treating chronic pain. That publication is available at www.theacpa.org/resources/ACPAdrugsupplement2002.pdf.
American Pain Society
www.ampainsoc.org
The American Pain Society is a multidisciplinary organization of
basic and clinical scientists, practicing clinicians, policy analysts,
and others. The mission of the American Pain Society is to advance
pain-related research, education, treatment and professional practice.
The following two documents about the use of opioids come from the
Advocacy & Policy section.
Definitions Related to the Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Pain: A consensus document from the
American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Society, and
the American Society of Addiction Medicine
www.ampainsoc.org/advocacy/opioids2.htm The Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic Pain: A consensus
statement from American Academy of Pain Medicine and American Pain
Society
www.ampainsoc.org/advocacy/opioids.htm
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
www.incb.org
INCB is the independent and quasi-judicial control organ for the implementation of the United Nations drug conventions, established in 1968 by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. It is the Board's responsibility to promote government compliance with the provisions of the drug control treaties and to assist them in this effort. Broadly speaking, the Board endeavors to ensure that adequate supplies are available for medical and scientific uses.
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, referred to in the Featured Innovation can be found on this site at www.incb.org/e/conv/1961/.
 Please note: There are many other useful pain management resources listed on the General
Links page of Innovations in End-of-Life Care.
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