Park Ridge, Ill. – The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) applauds the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for today’s announcement of major new study results identifying pain as a serious public health problem, and expresses its appreciation and support for the IOM’s initiative to improve pain care, education, and research. The 42,000-member AANA is a supporting organization of the Pain Care Act which authorized the undertaking of the landmark study.

 

Commissioned by the U.S. Congress, the study draws attention to the human and economic costs of pain, an epidemic that affects one in every four Americans. Ensuring patient access to safe, cost-effective anesthesia care and pain management has long been the mission of the AANA, whose members are advanced practice registered nurses specializing in these areas. Along with various other consumer, health professional, and advocacy organizations that deal with this issue, the AANA strongly supports the IOM in its efforts to study pain in greater depth and explore approaches to advance the field of pain care.

 

“The AANA is extremely grateful to Congress for recognizing the need for this study and to the IOM for achieving such impressive results,” said Christine Zambricki, CRNA, MS, FAAN, deputy executive director of the AANA.  “The work done so far, and the work that lies ahead, has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of pain and offer relief for the millions of Americans who live with pain day in and day out. As an organization representing anesthesia specialists, many of our members practice in pain management settings so the AANA’s support of this research is a natural association.”

 

The ultimate goal of the IOM study is to lessen the toll in human suffering caused by pain, while identifying economical alternatives that reduce healthcare and lost-opportunity costs.  

 

“CRNAs see firsthand the grave effects chronic pain has on patients. We anticipate that the study, along with the involvement of the IOM and leading healthcare and patient advocacy organizations that have already signed on to support this initiative, will encourage other organizations to join the cause of advancing pain management,” said Zambricki.