Fallacies and phobias about addiction and pain

Abstract

Research has indicated that approximately three-quarters of patients in acute care hospitals experience moderate to severe pain. It is thought that inadequately controlled pain is the result of poor clinical performance on the part of nurses and physicians. Faulty knowledge about pain mechanisms and pharmacology have been targeted as the source of their poor performance. In addition, practitioners may have fallacious beliefs about narcotics and pain. This study examined some of the misconceptions nurses have about addiction and pain management. A number of fallacies were identified. These included a very strong opiophobia or fallacy about addiction liability of narcotics even under conditions of normal hospital use.