Trisha Shetty (Editor)

British Pain Society

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The British Pain Society (BPS) was first registered as a charity on 29 November 1979. It is the British chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain, as well as a multidisciplinary organisation made up of health professionals working within the field of Pain Management within the United Kingdom. The BPS considers itself as an alliance of professionals advancing the understanding and management of pain for the benefit of patients.

History

The first incarnation of the BPS was under the title of the Intractable Pain Society of Great Britain and Ireland (IPSGBI) in 1967, with its members being Anaesthetists, thus predating the foundation of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), which was founded in 1973. Over time the membership of the society changed to become multidisciplinary and ultimately became known by its current BPS title in 2004.

Pain relief clinics that focused primarily on nerve blocks were pioneered in the United States in the 1930s. The concept spread to Europe post World War 2, with the first of these being set up in London, Plymouth and Liverpool in 1947. Over the next two decades these evolved into more multidisciplinary clinics and by 1967 there were approximately 29 doctors (typically anaesthetists) working in this field in the UK. On 10 November 1967 the first ever meeting of the Intractable Pain Society of Great Britain and Ireland took place at the Salford Postgraduate Medical Institute, Salford University, UK. This meeting was organised by Dr M Swerdlow and was appointed as the first Chairman of the society, with Dr M Churcher and Dr J Challenger being appointed as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

In September 2016, the current Communications Committee of the BPS raised the issue of the commemoration of the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the society and the role of social media, including the setting up of a Wikipedia page.

References

British Pain Society Wikipedia