ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the assumption that ethical pain care is largely synonymous with effective pain management. It describes there are a number of obstacles to the effective management of pain in older adults, such that ethical pain care for the geriatric patient continues to represent a clinical challenge to the health care provider. The American Medical Association has enumerated principles relevant to the practice of medicine, the first of which states “A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights.” The American Academy of Pain Medicine statement describes conflicting ethical requirements associated with the array of audiences with which the pain specialist is required to interact, including patients, peers, and a variety of societal agents. The practice becomes more complicated, however, when applied to the management of pain in older adults, secondary to issues related to the ancillary principle, nonmaleficence.
