Pain during spinal cord injury rehabilitation: client perspectives and staff attitudes.

Pain after spinal cord injury (SCI) is well documented in the literature. Effective treatment for pain after SCI remains elusive and treatment protocols have not been well researched. Staff on a 32-bed SCI rehabilitation unit designed and implemented a descriptive research study to improve pain management outcomes. An interdisciplinary plan to improve pain management practices was developed as a result of the study. Guidelines of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the American Pain Society (1997) and the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research (1992 [now called Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality]) provided the framework for the interdisciplinary management of pain.