Abstract
BACKGROUND: Approximately 100 million Americans live with chronic pain. These individuals are often negatively affected by the many myths, misunderstandings, and stigma associated with chronic pain and its treatment. These negative attitudes and misunderstandings on the part of the general public, significant others, vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals, and health care providers can exacerbate their pain, preclude them from receiving effective treatment and rehabilitation, and undermine their overall quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to examine ethical considerations for providing responsive VR services that validate and appropriately address the needs of individuals with chronic pain. CONCLUSION: The authors (a) define chronic pain, (b) provide examples of chronic illnesses and disabilities associated with chronic pain, (c) examine the demographic characteristics of individuals with the highest rates of chronic pain, (d) discuss common myths about chronic pain, and (e) discuss sections in the 2017 Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors that are especially relevant to providing services to this growing VR clientele.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 321-330 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018-IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Ethics
- chronic pain
- code of ethics
- vocational rehabilitation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rehabilitation
- Occupational Therapy