The challenge of pain.

Pain is a universal phenomenon experienced from birth to the end of life (Marchand, 2012). It exists from the simplest type that is mild and inconsequential to an intolerable type that requires treatment as well as persistent chronic type of pain that is beyond cure. Reductions of activity that usually do not make the patient’s life unbearable are the reason why more than 80% of people seek medical care, making pain the main reason for seeking medical treatment. However, not everybody feels pain the same way. Women report feeling pain more than men, and the elderly are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than the young. Therefore, treating pain is a complex and stressful task that requires consideration of the type of pain that the patient experiences and the motivational, cognitive, emotional, and personality characteristics of the individual who suffers from pain. Fundamental information about the choice of effective, tolerable, and safe treatment reveals how difficult treatment will be for healthcare professionals to relieve pain in affected individuals (Marchand, 2012).