OBJECTIVE: To address how health professionals may inadvertently contribute to the stigmatization of patients with chronic pain. SETTING: Formulation and implementation of the Australian National Pain Strategy. DESIGN: Review of current concepts of stereotyping and stigma, consideration of their relationship to empathy, and how they might impinge upon the clinical encounter. FINDINGS: The extinction of empathy, which we refer to as "negative empathy," can overwhelm health professionals, allowing the entry of negative community stereotypes of chronic pain sufferers and add to their stigmatization. Prevailing dualistic frames of reference encourage this process. CONCLUSION: Greater awareness by health professionals of their own potential, often inadvertent, contribution to the stigmatization of their patients with chronic pain may serve as a basis for an expanded model of clinical engagement. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
OBJECTIVE: To address how health professionals may inadvertently contribute to the stigmatization of patients with chronic pain. SETTING: Formulation and implementation of the Australian National Pain Strategy. DESIGN: Review of current concepts of stereotyping and stigma, consideration of their relationship to empathy, and how they might impinge upon the clinical encounter. FINDINGS: The extinction of empathy, which we refer to as "negative empathy," can overwhelm health professionals, allowing the entry of negative community stereotypes of chronic pain sufferers and add to their stigmatization. Prevailing dualistic frames of reference encourage this process. CONCLUSION: Greater awareness by health professionals of their own potential, often inadvertent, contribution to the stigmatization of their patients with chronic pain may serve as a basis for an expanded model of clinical engagement. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors: Ruby H N Nguyen; Rachael M Turner; Sarah A Rydell; Richard F Maclehose; Bernard L Harlow Journal: Pain Med Date: 2013-06-06 Impact factor: 3.750
Authors: Andrew M Briggs; Helen Slater; Samantha Bunzli; Joanne E Jordan; Stephanie J Davies; Anne J Smith; John L Quintner Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2012-10-11 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Helen Slater; Andrew M Briggs; Samantha Bunzli; Stephanie J Davies; Anne J Smith; John L Quintner Journal: BMC Musculoskelet Disord Date: 2012-05-11 Impact factor: 2.362