ABSTRACT
This chapter primarily focuses on disparities in chronic pain while providing an overview of disparities from an ethical perspective. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmities”. It also proclaims that health is a basic human right. Globally, chronic pain is the third largest health problem. In fact, the WHO proclaimed pain relief as a human right. With more than 75 million Americans suffering from chronic pain, poor pain management crosses socioeconomic, geographic, gender, and racial lines. Although we have the ability to assess and treat pain, clinicians frequently confront complex ethical and moral dimensions that impact patients. Pain assessments by professionals are often lower than the patient’s self-report, while mild mood disorders are more likely to be attributed to major psychological disturbances in minority people.
