Accountability for pain relief: Use of comfort-function goals.

A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY for assessing and relieving pain has been cited as a major contributor to the undertreatment of pain in hospitalized patients. The release of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) pain management standards in 2001 has resulted in widespread interest in health care facilities to assess pain and implement protocols and care plans that attempt to address the needs of patients with pain. Unfortunately, many of these plans fail because they lack clear direction and do not hold clinicians accountable for relieving pain.