Busy ED, middle of the night, you sign up for the next patient. CC: Low Back Pain. Chart review: Needs an interpreter and has dx of chronic pain syndrome. If you're like me, you might be tempted to groan, because what am I supposed to do about your chronic back pain at 2am? 1/

Just learned this: there are 50,000 survivors of torture in MN (source: @cvt_staff). Frequently their trauma syndrome presents with non-dermatomal pain. ER docs have the opportunity to screen with one simple question: “Have you ever experienced torture or extreme violence?” 2/

If the answer is yes, refer to Center for Victims of Torture and case management. DON’T send to pain clinic. It’s likely they’ll need medical documentation proving their torture in order to secure asylum. We have the ability to help by connecting to the right resources. 3/

And big s/o to @GlobalHealthDr for the awesome content in her @umnmedschool course Immigrant/Refugee Health and Disaster Response! Highly recommend. #MedTwitter #MedStudentTwitter #EmergencyMedicine