Science and medicine have a long and troubling history of reinforcing racist, anti-ethnic, and sexist attitudes and beliefs. Pain science is no exception. Misconceptions about pain sensitivity propounded by physicians and scientists during the 19th and 20th centuries reified existing social hierarchies, continuing to this day. Pain care remains heavily influenced by prejudices and misconceptions about pain. An extensive body of research documents pain inequalities by sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., racialized group, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, socioeconomic position, regional location)…

Echoing the words of a group of editors of prestigious international scientific journals, we recommend reading this interesting publication, addressed to authors, reviewers, and editors to promote inclusive, representative, fair, and impartial research and dissemination of knowledge. Using language that is inclusive and minimizes bias. Including representative populations in pain research and comprehensively reporting data on demographic variables, using social frameworks for their interpretations.

In summary, reinforcing the need to advance the promotion of inclusion, diversity and equity in pain science.

Antonio Collado Cruz

Promotinginclusion, diversity, and equity in painscience.

Palermo TM, Davis KD, Bouhassira D, Hurley RW, Katz JD, Keefe FJ, Schatman M, Turk DC, Yarnitsky D.Can J Pain. 2023 Feb 22;7(1):2161272. doi: 10.1080/24740527.2022.2161272. eCollection 2023.PMID: 36874230

 Free PMC article.

Promoting inclusion, diversity, and equity in pain science - PMC (nih.gov) >>>