The Genesis of Multidisciplinary Health Professionals Teams for Pain Management. A History from the Hellenic Antiquity to Modern Palliative Medicine.

The aim of our article is to highlight the history of pain management. The multidisciplinary team (MDT) concept in confronting pain was first conceptualized by the Hippocratics, and has evolved through time and become a trend in medicine over recent decades. Documentary research was conducted to unveil the story of the evolution of MDTs. From the early 1950's the idea of an MDT approach to deal with various types of pain was sporadically introduced in medicine. Studies encouraged health institutions to support this concept by providing health professionals with training, alongside the necessary facilities and resources. Specialized care programs started with Dame Cicely Mary Strode Saunders as one of the pioneers. CONCLUSIONS: Team work and continuous interdisciplinary treatment of pain have rendered MDTs essential for health systems. Barriers in flexibility, information flow and personal issues give rise to the need for better organization and training. Pain and terminal disease palliation call for MDTs, and educated leaders to run them. Present and future health MDTs are considered necessary in all medical fields.