Sometimes a lack of pain medication is the patient’s best form of treatment. Eradicating pain has been a focus of medicine throughout history, from the early use of cocaine to the current use of fentanyl. As a prehospital provider, the standard of care for EMS is to provide interventions that control patients’ pain. Pay close attention to your patient’s pain, their reported pain scores and vital signs, and treat pain as early as possible. And never forget the power of a calm, professional demeanor, comforting communication, a splint and padding on their injured areas and a smooth ride to the hospital without anxiety-creating sirens in operation. It’s often as powerful as pain medications.

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