International Association for the Study of Pain
| International Association for the Study of Pain | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | IASP |
| Formation | 1973 |
| Type | INGO |
| Purpose/focus | humanitarian, research |
| Headquarters |  Seattle, Washington. |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 51°47′59″N 0°48′08″W / 51.79965°N 0.80235°W |
| Region served | worldwide |
| Official languages | english |
| President | Eija Anneli Kalso, MD, DMedSci (Finland) |
| Website | http://www.iasp-pain.org |
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is an international professional organization promoting research, education and policies for the knowledge and management of pain. The IASP was founded in 1973, following the Seattle-Issaquah conference, under the leadership of John Bonica.[1] Its secretariat is based in Seattle, Washington. It publishes the scientific journal Pain.[2] IASP brings together scientists, clinicians, healthcare providers and policymakers to stimulate and support the study of pain and to translate that knowledge into improved pain relief worldwide. IASP currently has more than 7,000 members from 108 countries and in 70 chapters.[3]
The often quoted IASP definition of pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage"[4] is derived from a 1964 definition by Harold Merskey,[5] and it was first published in 1979 by IASP in Pain journal, number 6, page 250.
[edit] Global Year Against Pain
Pain — specifically chronic pain — is an important problem because that decreases many people’s quality of life. That's why IASP encourages the Global Year Against Pain, a yearlong initiative to raise international attention of pain. Every year, IASP focuses on a other aspect of pain. The focus for the 2010-2011 campaign, which launched on October 18, 2010, is Acute Pain. In 2004, supported by various IASP chapters and federations holding their own local events and activities worldwide, IASP initiated its first Global Year Against Pain with the motto “The Relief of Pain Should be a Human Right[6].”
The themes:
- 2004-2005 The Relief of Pain Should be a Human Right
- 2005-2006 The Global Year Against Pain in Children
- 2006-2007 The Global Year Against Pain in Older Persons
- 2007-2008 The Global Year Against Pain in Women
- 2008-2009 The Global Year Against Cancer Pain
- 2009-2010 The Global Year Against Musculoskeletal Pain
- 2010-2011 The Global Year Against Acute Pain
- 2011-2012 The Global Year Against Headache
[edit] References
- ^ John Bonica, Pain's Champion and the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic
- ^ PAIN journal homepage, ISSN 0304-3959 (print) or ISSN 1872-6623 (electronic)
- ^ International Association for the Study of Pain | Welcome to IASP
- ^ IASP Pain Terminology
- ^ "An unpleasant experience that we primarily associate with tissue damage or describe in terms of tissue damage or both." Merskey, H. (1964), An Investigation of Pain in Psychological Illness, DM Thesis, Oxford.
- ^ Global Year Against Pain 20.06.2011
