Therapeutic clowning can reduce pediatric patients’ pain and distress during the preoperative period, but clown doctors must follow codes of ethics.

Differentiating between best palliative care options and the curative and palliative potential of surgery is key to developing dual intentional clarity.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) protocols vary by surgery type and are compared, clinically and ethically, to traditional protocols.

Social work perspectives on whether prescribers should authorize opioid refills emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to patient self-determination.

Considering chronic opioid use when planning elective surgery would likely enhance team communication, decrease stigma, and facilitate care transitioning and long-term planning.

Both physicians and pharmacists have responsibilities to ensure that opioids are prescribed and dispensed for legitimate medical purposes and to meet legal requirements.

A 3-step analgesic ladder was introduced in 1986 and needs change. Surgical interventions could reduce opioid use and motivate expansion of current pain management approaches.

Clinicians’ racial biases undermine the quality of Black persons’ health care experiences and pave a reliable path to health care-induced harm.