GLENVIEW, Ill., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Pain Society (APS), http://www.ampainsoc.org, today announced the recipients of its second annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers. Six multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized. They are:
Forty-nine applications were judged by a panel of prominent pain management experts. APS established the program in 2006 to recognize progressive teams of health professionals who address critical, sometimes unmet, needs in pain management within their communities. Multidisciplinary programs in the U.S. offering direct patient care in pain management are eligible to apply. Award recipients will be honored at a gala on May 8 at the APS Annual Scientific Conference in Tampa.
"In our second year, the Clinical Centers Excellence Awards drew applicants from every part of the country with excellent performance in relieving suffering and restoring everyday function to those who lives are burdened with persistent pain," said APS President Judith Paice, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., director, cancer pain program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We were impressed by the quality of the submitted programs. As a pain care professional, I'm deeply gratified to see such outstanding outcomes being achieved by multidisciplinary pain care teams nationwide."
Paice added that the Clinical Centers of Excellence Awards also support the ongoing advocacy mission of APS for multidisciplinary pain care. "The awards honor pain care teams for delivering optimal and exemplary care for those with myriad chronic-pain disorders, post-surgical pain, trauma-induced pain and pain from cancer and other life-threatening conditions," Paice added.
A recurring quality of leading pain programs, according to Paice, is success in helping patients enhance overall function and quality of life. "Combining cognitive-behavioral and physical therapies with medications and other approaches is the major advantage of the multidisciplinary approach. We treat the whole person, not just the pain. The award recipients and other centers are proving every day that integrated, multidisciplinary pain care yields the best long-term outcomes -- medically, psychologically and socially," she said.
About the American Pain Society
Based in Glenview, Ill., the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. APS has enjoyed solid growth since its early days and today has approximately 3,200 members. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and others.
Program Supporters
The Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management program is made possible with the generous support of Endo Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Laboratories, Cephalon, King Pharmaceuticals, Merck and Pfizer.
SOURCE American Pain Society
