Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Total Pain
"Total pain" is a fundamental concept in palliative care. It emphasizes the multidimensional nature of pain and suffering in patients with advanced illnesses. Originally introduced by Dame Cicely Saunders, the spectrum of total pain extends beyond pure physical pain to further encompass psychological, social, and spiritual distress. By focusing on the above four components of total pain, clinicians can provide better care for their patients with advanced illnesses and ultimately improve their overall quality of life. Compiled by a multidisciplinary team of experts in the field, this article provides ten key strategies (tips) for palliative care clinicians to enhance their understanding and management of total pain in clinical settings.
Authors
- Jasmine Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8811-6926)
- William E. Rosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0680-8911)
- Muhammad Hamza Habib (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1353-4437)
- Marcus Vetter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1003-1078)
- Christopher A. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8768-9140)
- Simon Peng‐Keller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5738-3653)
- Patrick J. Coyne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9517-3518)
- Jennifer Hogan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2326-540X)
- Annette Ciurea
- Marcin Chwistek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-8232)
- Jan Gaertner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1176-3164)
- Elissa Kozlov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1027-2352)
- Jan Schildmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5755-7630)
- Mathias Schlögl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6299-8852)
- Eva Katharina Schildmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9756-9954)
- Dorothy Weiss Tolchin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1139-8029)
Institutions
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Technische Hochschule Augsburg (DE)
- Medical University of South Carolina (US)
- Duke University (US)
- University of Augsburg (DE)
- University of Basel (CH)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (US)
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Luther University (KR)
- Johnson University (US)
- Temple University Health System (US)
- Theological Seminary Bienenberg (CH)
- Klinik Barmelweid (CH)
- Storz Medical (Switzerland) (CH)
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Palliative Medicine
- Published
- 2025-05-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2025.0159
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.88