In a recent article about making end-of-shift reports, you missed an opportunity to remind nurses to include a pain assessment, including any interventions taken and the patient's response to treatment. Consistently communicating about pain, the "fifth vital sign," will go a long way toward resolving the problem of continued undertreatment of pain in the acute care setting.

-WENDY BAIER, RN, CNS, MSN

Bellingham, Wash.

The comments appearing in this column are excerpted from readers' correspondence. Send your letter, complete mailing address, and credentials to: Letters Editor, Nursing2004, 323 Norristown Rd., Suite 200, Ambler, PA 19002, or e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your e-mail address and daytime telephone number.