American responds to cancer pain: a survey of state pain initiatives.

Though pharmacologic and technologic advances make it possible to control most cancer pain, it often goes untreated or undertreated, largely because of lack of knowledge or misguided attitudes about appropriate use of such measures. In response to the need to improve education of health professionals and patients about cancer pain management, the state of Wisconsin created a state cancer pain initiative. This program, now fully developed, has made substantial progress toward its goals and has become a demonstration project for the World Health Organization (WHO). This report describes the Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative (WCPI), its impact on the development of initiatives in other states, and outlines the findings of a 1992 American Cancer Society (ACS) survey of 26 similar initiatives, many of which are modeled after the WCPI.