Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Some patients present with a primary complaint of pain while others complain of pain secondary to a more generalized disease process or procedure. As a healthcare professional, you are trained to diagnose the pathology and then treat it. A patient presents with pneumonia, your work-up supports the diagnosis; you treat it, then the patient gets better. However, another layer of patient care needs more focus in the medical community. If the patient with pneumonia complains of intercostal pain secondary to a violent cough, we have the ability to manage the symptoms of pain effectively, and should not hesitate to do so promptly. Our actions to alleviate pain will not hinder our ability to treat the underlying disease. Yet modern medicine often considers these goals mutually exclusive, with pain management a distance second. As medical professionals, when we have an incomplete understanding of how to treat a condition, we under treat it, erring on the side of do no harm. This book will give you the confidence to confront your patient's discomfort and succeed in conquering the pain"--Provided by publisher.