SUMMARY/CONCLUDING REMARKS
The treatment of patients with chronic, non-cancer pain should
not be limited to pain specialists only. Because of complex social, regulatory,
ethical, and legal issues surrounding the use of opioids in these patients, the physician
who elects to help treat these patients may find it useful to utilize the guidelines
and examples outlined in this document. While these guidelines do not define standard
of care, it is the hope of the Medical Society of Virginia, working in close conjunction
with the Virginia Board of Medicine, and the Commonwealth of Virginia's Joint Subcommittee
to Study the Commonwealth's Current Laws and Policies Related to Chronic, Acute and
Cancer Pain Management, that physicians who do treat this very difficult and deserving
patient population will find significant clinical benefit from this document and
will be enlightened by the suggestions offered herein.
This document is the product of the Medical Society of Virginia's
Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and is the result
of many months of deliberation and study. Members of this committee were Stephen
P. Long, MD, Chairman; John Barsanti, MD; Edwin Harvie, MD; Joanne Hudson, MD; Albert
Jones, MD; Katherine Maurath, MD; Randolph Merrick, MD; John Rowlingson, MD; Paul
Spector, DO; John Tietjen, MD; Thomas Wash, MD. Ex Officio members were Senator
Jane Woods; Delegate Vincent Behm; Warren Koontz, MD (Executive Director, Virginia
Board of Medicine); Karen Perrine, Esquire (Virginia Board of Medicine); Norma Szakal,
Esquire (Division of Legislative Services).
