Introduction The Power of the Visible and the Undertreatment of Pain in the U.S.

This chapter presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. This book is devoted to the production and synthesis of evidence in the larger sense of the term, evidence that includes analysis of the social and cultural beliefs, attitudes, and practices regarding the meaning of pain. These 'variables' are prime determinants in the undertreatment of pain. The book's commitment to evidence-based policy requires engaging the ongoing debate over the meaning and validity of the terms 'evidence-based policy' and 'evidence-based medicine'. Many criticisms of evidence-based medicine attack the cramped view of what qualifies as relevant evidence. Constructing a useful notion of evidence-based policy requires an understanding of the evidence as to pain that is both deeper and broader than is generally conceived of and utilized in both evidence-based medicine and evidence-based health policy.