Pain observed - The experience of pain from the family caregiver's perspective

Researchers have studied pain and family caregiving across ages and various diseases. They have begun to explore barriers to family caregivers' roles in pain management and to assess family caregivers' knowledge and beliefs about pain. One consistent finding is that the fears and the inappropriate knowledge and beliefs of family caregivers often are worse than those of patients. This article provides a brief description of the program of research performed by the author and colleagues over the past 16 years related to pain management at home and to the role of family caregivers.