WHO revision of pain management guidelines

In June 2019, WHO announced the revision of two pain management guidelines.

This page is dedicated to the revision of the document “Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: Guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines (2011).” This guideline is being revised in accordance to the methods and procedures outlined in WHO Handbook for Guideline Development.

Further information and regular updates on the guideline can be found on this page.

WHO guideline on ensuring balanced national policies for access and safe use of controlled medicines (Policy guideline)

Scope: The proposed scope for this guideline has been developed and is available here.

Public hearing: A public hearing regarding the scope of the guideline took place on 19 February 2020. The written statements submitted on the guideline have been consolidated and can be found here.

Synthesis of evidence: WHO Procurement issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from specialist technical experts to identify a systematic review team. The systematic review concluded in 2023.

GDG members: The list of Guideline Development Group members has been confirmed and is available here. Public comments on the proposed list were accepted until 9th February 2020. Several GDG meetings were held between June 2020 August 2023 to finalize the scope of the guideline; to prioritize and review the outcomes of the systematic review and evidence synthesis; and to formulate recommendations.

External review group:  An external review group (ERG) for the revision of this guideline has been constituted. Its role is to provide diverse and real-world perspective on the guideline. When reviewing the final draft of the guideline, the ERG identifies any errors or missing data and comments on clarity, setting-specific issues, and implications for implementation – it does not change the recommendations formulated by the Guideline Development Group.

Timelines:  The guideline is expected to be finalized in 2025. Note that the original timelines were extended in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interim guidance: Whilst this document is being updated, countries in need of guidance on pain management can:

• Use the list of resources for advice concerning access to appropriate medicines for pain and palliative care;
• Contact WHO to request technical support at controlled.medicines@who.int

List of resources

The following resources are recommended to ensure that controlled medicines are available for appropriate medical and scientific purposes whilst preventing their diversion and harm.

For the complete list, please click on 'additional resources (overview)'.

WHO Guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children provide recommended physical, psychological and pharmacological interventions for pain relief in children aged 0-19 years

This guideline was published in 2020. The guideline supports Member States and their partners to develop and implement national and local policies, regulations, pain management protocols and best practices for pain relief.