Publish a Quarterly Newsletter
Objectives:
1) To publish a quarterly newsletter on pain control and palliative care which supports
the WHO global communications program to improve cancer pain control and both palliative
and supportive care.
2) To disseminate the newsletter throughout the world to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, researchers, government officials and other health professionals interested in cancer pain relief and palliative care.
Methods:
The Center publishes Cancer Pain Release in print and on the Internet three
to four times a year to:
1) inform about new developments and guidelines on cancer control and palliative care issued by WHO, key government and non-governmental organizations;
2) give visibility to programs with teaching value in all parts of the world;
3) recognize achievements of countries and programs according to WHO's outcome measures;
4) provide access to current research in cancer pain and palliative care.
Outcomes:
Cancer Pain Release, started 12 years ago, has grown from a tabloid to an
eight-page newsletter with a worldwide circulation to over 100,000 professionals in 128
countries. Each issue presents abstracts and commentaries from the literature on pain,
symptom control and palliative care; information on WHO guidelines on the use of analgesic
medications in pain relief and palliative care; information about training opportunities
and professional education in cancer pain and palliative care, as well as health
policy and issues regarding the availability of opioid analgesics. The publication
documents the progress of pain relief initiatives worldwide, as well as obstacles and
solutions in pain relief practice and policy.
Several issues have presented a comprehensive overview of topical issues, including nursing education, physician education, home care, pain in children with cancer, fear of addiction, and breakthrough pain. These issues are particularly valuable as references for clinicians who lack access to literature searching capability. Appendix C is an index of all articles published in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Key Distribution:
Single copies of Cancer Pain Release are mailed to a growing number of
clinicians and health care organizations. Multiple copies are also mailed in bulk for
distribution at many professional meetings. Table 1 shows the distribution of Cancer
Pain Release by language and by country. Tables 2,
3 and 4 show the distribution by
profession of the audience for the English, Spanish and French language editions.
In 1997, 1998 and 1999, the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management continued to insert Cancer Pain Release (English) in its issues, thereby expanding Cancer Pain Release distribution to about 3,000 health professionals in the US and abroad. Starting in 1999, Cancer Pain Release (Spanish) was inserted in Medicina Paliativa, the peer-reviewed journal of the Spanish Association for Palliative Care (SECPAL).
Electronic dissemination of Cancer Pain
Release:
The Center initiated an Internet site for Cancer Pain Release in
1996 to allow users access to a Table of Contents of all published issues, as
well as full text version of articles and selected excerpts of others (http://www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/).
This activity has not been updated since 1997 due to lack of
funding. However, the website continues to receive requests for information
about Cancer Pain Release and about WHO publications in pain, palliative
care and symptom control.
Internet Access to Key Resource Information
The Pain & Policy Studies Group established an international section of its website (www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy) to provide worldwide public access to key resource information about the WHO and its efforts to improve cancer pain, palliative care and opioid availability.
The website describes the mission of the Pain & Policy Studies Group/WHO Collaborating Center and its work to address barriers to opioid availability in cooperation with national and international bodies.
Links are provided to many websites which contain information relevant to pain relief and palliative care.
A United States section contains extensive information about pain policy, including: model guidelines for the use of controlled substances for the treatment of pain; a bibliography of published literature; full text of state statutes, regulations and guidelines; a criteria-based evaluation of federal and state pain related policies; a resource guide to regulatory issues in pain management; and information about pain management as an alternative to assisted suicide.
The international section contains extensive information about the international availability and use of opioid analgesics, including: national consumption trends of opioid analgesics, monographs that review the opioid availability situation in various parts of the world, recommendations for how to identify and address regulatory barriers, annotated bibliographies, and the full text of WHO and INCB publications.
The Pain & Policy Studies Group has monitored website utilization statistics since July 1997 when it was established. The statistics show that there is a significant and increasing use of the website as a resource for learning about pain policy. The website is visited by users from around the world, with the most frequent visitors coming from Latin America, Asia, Australia and Europe. The following graph presents monthly data on all website "hits" and users through 1999.