American Pain Society's 27th Annual Scientific Meeting (May 8 – 10, 2008): Hidden Settings for Health Disparities in Pain: Uncovering the Truth and Policy Implications

Disparities in pain are prevalent throughout society and in different healthcare settings. What is less recognized are the “hidden” or misunderstood areas of care wherein blatant under-treatment of pain occurs. Forces that make pain care extraordinarily challenging in such settings further exacerbate disparities and exert additional pressure on patients and healthcare providers to face virtually insurmountable barriers to care, thereby relegating portions of society vulnerable to disproportionately poor pain care. Dr. Vallerand will present findings from primary care settings and will reveal information how primary care is a particularly vulnerable setting for unmanaged and ineffective pain care across SES and racial groups. Dr. Kalauokalani will discuss the challenges of managing pain in unique settings, as in the prison system. She will offer qualitative and quantitative accounts on what can we learn from delivering pain management to vulnerable populations. Dr. Green will address patient, provider and system-level barriers that perpetuate the hidden areas of care and intensify disparities. She will discuss the influence of governmental and policy barriers, as well as controversies surrounding these obstacles.