Oncology Nursing Society's Pain Management Special Interest Group

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is a national organization of more than 33,000 registered nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching, research and education in the field of oncology. A prime goal of ONS is to provide a network of peer support and exchange for oncology nurses. To do so, ONS established a formal structure of Special Interest Groups (SIG) to facilitate the networking of members in an identified subspecialty area. The Pain Management SIG was established in 1989.

Pain Management SIG Mission

The mission of the Pain Management SIG is to promote excellence in oncology nursing through the promotion of optimal pain control for all persons throughout their cancer experience by studying, researching, and exchanging information, and to provide a system for networking and resource sharing for nurses with a special interest and/or expertise in pain management.

Goals

• Provide a system for networking and resource sharing.
• Identify non-pharmacological pain treatment modalities which may benefit individuals with cancer.
• Collaborate with the Patient Education SIG to evaluate current patient education resources for cancer pain and to develop a plan for public education regarding pain management.
• Support the distribution and implementation of the AHCPR Cancer Pain Management Guidelines.
• Support the work of State Cancer Pain Initiatives (CPIs).
• Explore the impact of pain management as related to the physician assisted suicide movement in the United States.
• To assist, as needed, with the update of ONS Pain Position Paper.

Activities

The Pain Management SIG fulfills their mission and goals through: working with various ONS project teams; working with the Patient Education SIG to collect samples of patient education materials regarding cancer pain management; preparing topic submissions on pain issues for presentation at ONS educational events (i.e. Congress and Institutes of Learning); collaborating with other organizations which focus on the oncology pain population (e.g., Alliance of State Cancer Pain Initiatives and the City of Hope MayDay project); and promoting the expertise of Pain Management SIG members through nominating SIG members for Excellence Awards.

http://painmanagement.vc.ons.org/