Papers of the Week

It is nearly impossible to overestimate the burden of chronic pain, which is associated with enormous personal and socioeconomic costs. Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the world, is associated with multiple psychiatric co-morbidities, and has been causally linked for the opioid crisis. Access to pain treatment has been called a fundamental human right by numerous organizations. The current COVID-19 pandemic has strained medical resources, creating a dilemma for physicians charged with a responsibility to limit spread of the contagion, and their responsibility to treat the patients they are entrusted to care for.