Chronic pain is a disease and its treatment a right, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Spain, 1 out of every 4 people suffers, affecting their quality of life on a physical, psychological and social level. In addition, 50% of the consultations that are made in Primary Care are related to pain, according to the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN).
To minimize its impact from a multidisciplinary approach, the "Committee for a Life Without Pain of Kern Pharma" was presented today in Madrid. It is a new entity that brings together experts from different areas related to pain in order to inform, raise awareness and provide useful tools to treat it. According to Manuel Garrido, CEO of Kern Pharma, "with this pioneering project in Spain we want to be closer to those patients for whom pain is a brake on their lives. We wanted to have professionals of the highest level in all areas so that, with your help and our experience as a reference laboratory in this pathology, we can continue to take care of the health and quality of life of people "
The "Committee for a Life Without Pain of Kern Pharma" is formed by Dr. Pedro Ibor, Primary Care physician and national coordinator of the Pain Work Group of SEMERGEN; Dr. Maria Ángeles Canós, head of the Pain Unit at La Fe Hospital in Valencia and member of the Spanish Pain Society (SED); Alicia González, community pharmacist and member of the Pain Group in the Spanish Society of Community and Family Pharmacists (SEFAC); Gemma Fernández, president of the Sine Dolore Patient Association; Javier Granda, journalist specialized in health; and Esther Arroyo, actress, model and television presenter, affected by chronic pain following a traffic accident.
For Dr. Pedro Ibor, president of the Committee, "it is essential to promote initiatives such as this that allow a transversal approach to pain, since pain care is the axis of primary care which is, in turn, the gateway to the health system and in which 80% of pain consultations are resolved ". In addition, he stressed that "collaboration with other medical specialties such as rehabilitation and trauma are essential, as well as with nursing professionals, who are a key to monitoring and detecting pain, and with psychologists and social workers. It is also essential to collaborate with the Pain Units in the most complex cases, around 10% of the total, which need more attention ".
On the other hand, Dr. M. Ángeles Canós, explained during her speech that "despite the fact that Spain is one of the pioneers in the creation of Pain Units, it is still necessary to give an impulse to the study and treatment of pain at all levels, intra and extrahospital, as well as greater collaboration. The objective is that, among all, patients, health authorities, education system and health professionals we can establish a health culture on pain and advance in an adequate model that allows to change the course of the pain disease so prevalent in the entire population general".
Alicia González has indicated the work of the pharmacist as "essential to help improve the results of treatment and identify possible problems related to medication." And he added that "from a privileged situation due to its greater accessibility and closeness to the patient, community pharmacists can identify adverse effects, interactions, situations where referral to the doctor is needed, in addition to detect adherence problems and, in such case, put in place strategies for patients to correctly follow the treatments prescribed by their doctor. "
In this regard, the Committee wanted to have Gemma Fernández, president of the Sine Dolore Patient Association: "Pain can become exasperating if it is not treated properly. Therefore, we ask that in more complex cases that are not easily resolved, patients' access to the Pain Units is even easier, since many of them still do not know about this possibility ".