Obtain a thorough history and determine the specific cause of pain. In an article on treating patients’ pain, Eliot Cole, MD, a physician associated with the American Academy of Pain Management, advises, “Do not call [a patient’s] pain a headache or backache but try to find a specific pathological process to explain why your patients hurt.”1 Stephen Richeimer, MD, Chief of Pain Medicine at the University of Southern California, says, “Assessment is a key issue. The history and physical examination provides the information that allows the physician to judge if the patient is legitimately in pain or if the patient is improperly seeking drugs.”2

Quest Diagnostics and Google Health Google recently launched Google Health, a product that allows patients to gather their health information from multiple healthcare providers (physician, pharmacy, lab, etc.) into one secure, online location — a personal Google Health Account. This service is offered at no charge to patients or physicians. Physicians can now make Quest Diagnostics lab results available to their patients through Google Health.

Take a tour of Google Health at www.Google.com/health . Register at www.QuestDiagnostics.com/registerMDgooglehealth