The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) 

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; Yale University School of Medicine; New Haven, ConnecticutJames C. Eisenach, M.D., EditorURL:http://weber.u.washington.edu/approximatecrc/IASP.htmlInstitution: International Association for the Study of PainAuthors/Webmasters: Content: C. Richard Chapman, Ph.D. (crc@u.washington.edu); Server: Robert C. Jacobson, Ph.D. (rcj@u.washington.edu)Chronic and acute pain are important subjects, not only for anesthesiologists, but also for a broad range of medical professionals and laypeople. The International Association for the Study of Pain maintains a World Wide Web site with features that make it interesting and important to each of these groups. Resources include information about the society and its goals, scientific information, and an International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) membership application.The IASP Web site contains accurate and timely information, and appears to be updated frequently. It is also well-organized and makes use of frames and tables to display a map of the site and the requested page. The site is highly focused and contains a narrow range of topics pertinent to the goals of the society, including information about the society, official publications (that presumably have been reviewed), and "unofficial" resources that have not been produced by the society. The most interesting pages are a glossary of pain terms, ethical guidelines for pain research in humans and animals, and suggested pain curricula for medical and nursing schools and other professional training programs.All of the links are current and relevant to the topics of pain management and research. The site contains references to other pain societies and IASP chapters, unofficial pain resources, and the World Health Organization.This site appears to have no search capabilities.The IASP Web page is well-organized and informative. Pain management and research are important topics, and the page is broad enough in appeal to merit many return visits by medical professionals in a variety of fields. This page is an excellent model for other society home pages.Keith J. Ruskin, M.D.Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; Yale University School of Medicine; New Haven, Connecticut(Accepted for publication January 14, 1999.)