Dr. Paul Arnstein, is an Adjunct Professor of Nursing at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and an independent pain educator and consultant. For over 40 years as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist, he has helped thousands of patients in pain. He served in a range of roles, from Lamaze instructor to Hospice Director; understanding the breadth of pain types, across the lifespan. His clinical experience has included urban and rural clinics, home care, community hospitals and Academic Medical Center settings. Paul serving 16 years at Massachusetts General Hospital as the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Pain Relief and Director of MGH Cares About Pain Relief program. His research has focused on nondrug ways of relieving pain and enhancing team-based, patient centered approaches to care of patients with chronic pain and actual or potential opioid use disorder.
Paul has volunteered for professional organizations such as the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (Past-President), the American Pain Society and the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation. He also served on committees for the Joint Commission, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee created by the Department of Health and Human Services to enhance pain research, quality metrics and promote collaboration between professionals and governmental agencies. Paul has written over 100 articles, several chapters and two books on pain; as well as several position papers to help reduce pain in vulnerable populations. Dr. Arnstein is a strong spokesperson for interprofessional programs teaching core pain competencies and the use of evidence-based guidelines to ensure that no patient lives or dies with needless pain due to unrealistic fears and mistaken beliefs about pain and its treatment.
