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At a press briefing to mark the start of its 2015 World Congress the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) called on its member associations to focus on ending animal pain. The WSAVA's Global Pain Council (GPC) has developed the GPC Global Pain Recognition, Assessment and Management Guidelines for use by veterinarians working anywhere in the world and GPC member and WSAVA President Elect Dr Walt Ingwersen and GPC member Paulo Steagall called on members present to step forward in a mass endorsement of the Guidelines' recommendations. Representatives from 39 WSAVA members did so, bringing the total number of members who have endorsed them to 48 with more expected to follow.
The effective management of pain is a key theme at this year's WSAVA World Congress, which is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 15-18 May and which is being attended by more than 4,000 veterinary delegates from around the world. Global experts are discussing leading edge thinking on all aspects of the veterinary care of companion animals in lectures and master classes and delegates are experiencing a social program designed to showcase Thai culture and tradition. The prestigious annual WSAVA Awards have also been presented at a gala at the Congress, which is being hosted by the Veterinary Practitioners' Association of Thailand (VPAT.)
Commenting on the importance of pain management, Dr Ingwersen, said: "There is a wide variation in pain assessment and management around the world and we must work together to eliminate this variation because the ability to actually diagnose pain is certainly not dependent on regional differences and is a skill we all share.
"Our Global Pain Guidelines are a practical, downloadable resource to assist practitioners in recognizing and assessing pain. They are accompanied by management protocols for a wide range of painful conditions, including Caesarian section, castration, degenerative joint disease and cancer-related pain. We are delighted that the Guidelines have already been downloaded more than 6,500 times and endorsed by a number of our members.
"By mobilizing our global veterinary community on this vital issue we can work together to build an empowered, motivated and unified veterinary profession that effectively recognizes and minimizes pain prevalence and impact around the world. We are delighted that so many of our members associations have stepped forward today to show their commitment to work with us to end animal pain."
He added: "Later this year and next, we will use both the GPC Pain Management Guidelines and our knowledge of the regional realities of clinical and modality infrastructure to champion the importance of pain management and to provide education for veterinarians around the world. We are also lending our support to a global movement to prevent ketamine from being rescheduled as a restricted drug as it is the mainstay of anesthesia/analgesia in many developing parts of the world for both veterinary and human medicine."
Dr Siraya Chunekamrai, Honorary Secretary of the WSAVA, added: " WSAVA World Congress is our flagship CE event and brings together our global veterinary community to learn and share experiences together. Each year it takes place in one of three regions of the world. This year we are in Asia Pacific and we would like to thank the team at VPAT for all their hard work."
The GPC's Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Management of Pain aim to help veterinarians around the world to identify and manage pain in their patients. They can be downloaded for free at http://www.wsava.org/guidelines/glob...cil-guidelines
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is an umbrella organization representing 145,000 veterinarians globally through 92 member associations.