Pain management as an ethical issueThe socio-cultural aspects of pain make the assessment and management of pain very complex. One factor that complicates the provision of appropriate pain-related care is individual prejudice. Too often, a professional ignores the intrinsic or individual nature of pain. Since pain is very subjective, we tend to underestimate it. A case in point is that a doctor would not argue against laboratory results showing the need for medication to treat hypertension, but if a patient states that he or she is not receiving pain relief after several administrations of painkillers, the caregiver is likely to consider the patient as a painkiller abuser or a “drug seeker.” This response shows the need to develop a framework for addressing pain management that is less tied to personal biases and emotions. It is in this context that the basic principles of bioethics can come into play. Standard principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice can help guide issues related to pain management. The ethical principle of autonomy Autonomy is perhaps the most individual of the principles of medical ethics. Autonomy is an individual's right to make their own decisions regarding the care they will receive (McCormick, 2013). In the context of pain management, autonomy is important because it highlights the indeterminable aspect of pain. A provider essentially violates the principle of autonomy when he ignores the patient's request and chooses the pain management plan of his own volition. Another aspect of respecting autonomy concerns the inability to provide the patient with adequate details on pain management parameters. In particular, patients have the right to know... at the heart of the document..., Quill, T., Bordley, D., & Ladwig, S. (2009). Evaluation of the necessary palliative care rotation for internal medicine residents. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 12(2), 150-154.Petersen, A. (2013). From bioethics to a sociology of bioknowledge. Social Sciences and Medicine, 98, 264-270.Schatman, M. (2011). The role of the health insurance industry in perpetuating suboptimal pain management. Pain Medicine, 12(3), 415-426. Schopflocher, D., Taenzer, P., & Jovey, R. (2011). The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain research and management: The Journal of the Canadian Pain Society, 16(6), 445. US Department of Health and Human Services. (2012, February 14). Testimony on pain research and treatment. Retrieved from HHS.gov: http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2012/02/t20120214a.html Wu, C., & Raja, S. (2011). Treatment of acute postoperative pain. The Lancet, 377(9784), 2215-2225.