24 Aug 2022
The WSAVA’s "Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain" is undergoing peer review prior to publication, but will be launched to members at congress in Peru in October.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Bea Monteiro, chair of the WSAVA Global Pain Council.
An updated version of WSAVA’s global pain guidelines is being worked on in time for a reveal at its annual congress in Peru in October.
The latest edition of the association’s “Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain” is undergoing peer review ahead of publication in the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), but will be launched free to members during WSAVA World Congress in Lima from 29 to 31 October.
The first global guidelines were published in JSAP in 2014 and have been downloaded more than 53,000 times – 4,000 times this year alone – making them one of the WSAVA’s most frequently accessed guidance resources.
The guidelines aim to provide easy-to-implement information for vets in a general practice setting anywhere in the world, regardless of drug availability, and are part of the WSAVA Global Pain Council’s (GPC) aspirations for pain to be addressed appropriately and considered the fourth vital sign vets monitor.
Bea Monteiro, who chairs the GPC, said: “With animal sentience now legally recognised in many countries and jurisdictions, veterinary health professionals have a moral and ethical duty to mitigate suffering to the best of our ability.
“Despite advances in the recognition and treatment of pain, pain still occurs more commonly than it is treated. This makes it essential that we engage veterinarians globally, and support them in recognising, anticipating, alleviating and treating pain. We hope the latest issue of our guidelines will become a key reference point and I’d like to thank the members of the GPC for their dedication in preparing them.”
A packed scientific programme is planned for WSAVA World Congress, with speakers from Peru and Latin America well represented, and lectures in Spanish and English. Some English lectures will be simultaneously translated to Spanish.
Full congress details and how to register are available online.
