Strengthening Facility-Based Pain Management Through Low-Cost, Onsite Training
In 2013, more than 2.2 million people died from untreated moderate or severe pain from cancer or HIV worldwide. The objective of the Pain-Free Hospital Initiative (PFHI) is to address this gap by implementing a low-cost intervention that increases patient access to pain assessment and management within the hospital setting. A one-year, low-cost, facility-based quality improvement, PFHI is designed to integrate pain management into hospital service delivery by ensuring availability of essential pain medicines, training health workers to assess and treat pain, and increasing awareness about pain management throughout the hospital. As advanced cancer care systems strengthen across Sub-Saharan Africa to meet the growing burden of disease, PFHI offers an effective solution that avoids disrupting patient care while ensuring quality pain management.