Joint policy statement on pain management at the end of life.

The West Virginia Boards of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses, Medicine, Osteopathy, and Pharmacy (hereinafter the Boards) recognize that: · inadequate treatment of pain for patients at end-of-life is a serious health problem affecting thousands of patients every year; · fear about dying in pain is the number one concern of West Virginians and all Americans facing the end of life; · principles of quality healthcare practice dictate that the people of the State of West Virginia have access to appropriate and effective pain relief; and · the appropriate application of up-to-date knowledge and treatment modalities can serve to improve the quality of life for those patients who suffer from pain at the end of life as well as reduce the morbidity associated with untreated or undertreated pain.