Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Comparative StudyAdequacy of opioid analgesic consumption at country, global, and regional levels in 2010, its relationship with development level, and changes compared with 2006.
In most countries, patients do not have adequate access to opioid analgesics because of barriers resulting from the abuse potential of these medicines. ⋯ The consumption of opioid analgesics remains inadequate in most of the world and, as a result, patients with moderate and severe pain do not receive the treatment they need. Governments, health organizations, and nongovernmental organizations must collaborate to address this situation, targeting their efforts at educational, cultural, health policy and regulatory levels.