TFDA publishes handbooks to provide guidance on handling chronic pain

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Two handbooks with guidance on handling pain arising from cancer and non-cancer chronic pain have been published by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), with English versions available for foreign caregivers, the administration said Wednesday.

TFDA commissioned Chi Mei Medical Center to compile the two handbooks, the Handbook of Non-Cancer Chronic Pain Care and the Handbook of Cancer Pain Care, covering topics such as pain assessment, causes of pain, and various kinds of treatment.

In addition to pain caused by cancer, the handbooks also cover non-cancer pain, which is defined as pain lasting for more than three months, with causes including physical, visceral, or neural damage.

Many foreign caregivers in Taiwan are required to assist individuals unable to care for themselves and these caregivers may not understand Chinese, said Wang Jhi-joung (王志中), one of the editors of the handbooks and a chair professor at Chi Mei Medical Center, during a press conference on Wednesday.

"By publishing an English version [of the handbooks], these people [foreign caregivers] will be able to learn how to take care of themselves and how to care for their care recipients," Wang added.

The electronic versions of the two handbooks are now available to download from TFDA's official website.

When asked about whether a version of the handbooks in Bahasa -- the language used by most of the 179,000 Indonesian caregivers in Taiwan -- would be available in the future, TFDA Deputy Director-General Wang Te-yuan (王德原) said that the option would be considered, without mentioning a specific plan.

Meanwhile, when questioned about the shelf life of 10 million COVID-19 rapid test kits available for free at National Health Insurance (NHI)-contracted pharmacies in Taiwan from Monday, Wang said that "close-to-expiry" means the rapid test kits have not expired yet and can be used normally.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 8 million of the kits will expire by the end of June.

"If the test kits have expired, it is advised to dispose of them as general waste and refrain from using them," he added.

The CDC said Tuesday that the 10 million kits have expiration dates ranging from the end of May to December, of which 1.5 million will be effective until the end of December.

The CDC statement sparked discussions among members of the public on whether the close-to-expiry status of the test kits would affect their efficacy.