• Elizabeth Chapman, David Hughes, Annette Landy, Judith Whale, and Margaret Saunders.
• Arthur Rank Hospice, Cambridge, UK. ecc22@cam.ac.uk
• Palliat Support Care. 2005 Mar 1;3(1):43-9.

ObjectiveThis article describes how a Multidisciplinary Pain Management Group was set up in a palliative care unit, and outlines the ways that the group works with different patients. We place these comments in the context of the wider representations of pain.MethodsOur observations of patients seen by the multidisciplinary team.ResultsWe tentatively propose that where the patient's pain has certain characteristics it may require a different approach. Patients who are older, with a lengthy treatment history, may require a different input than younger patients, who may have a number of factors that further complicate their experience of pain. We use our extensive experience with mesothelioma patients to draw a further important distinction between this patient group and other patients.Significance Of ResearchOur observations suggest the need to allow sufficient time for intensive psychological work to be done with mesothelioma patients in order for pharmacological interventions to be effective.

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