Evidence status: CURRENT DELAWARE PAIN-CARE SAFEGUARDS. Delaware’s Medical Board rules pair controlled-substance safeguards with explicit recognition that undertreatment and inappropriate treatment of pain can themselves depart from professional standards.
Appropriate pain relief is part of quality care
The Board states that Delaware residents should have access to appropriate and effective pain relief and that pain management is part of quality medical practice for acute and chronic pain.
Fear of discipline should not drive undertreatment
The Board recognizes that fear of investigation or sanction can contribute to inappropriate pain treatment and tells licensed practitioners they should not fear disciplinary action for prescribing controlled substances for a legitimate medical purpose in the course of professional practice.
Quantity and duration are not the only measures
The Board states that treatment validity is judged from the available documentation rather than solely from the quantity or duration of medication administration.
Individualized treatment
A written treatment plan is required and must set goals and objectives such as pain relief and improved physical and psychosocial function. Drug therapy must be adjusted to the individual patient’s medical needs.
Physical dependence is not addiction
Delaware’s controlled-substance and Medical Board rules expressly recognize that physical dependence and tolerance are normal physiological consequences of extended opioid therapy for pain and are not the same as addiction.
Periodic review and function
The practitioner must periodically review treatment, including progress toward treatment goals, functional improvement, quality of life, and whether other therapeutic modalities should be considered.
Why this belongs in the Contract for Care record
Delaware’s agreement and monitoring mandates operate inside a regulatory framework that also requires individualized judgment and recognizes the harms of inappropriate pain treatment. Agreement enforcement should therefore not be represented as a substitute for clinical assessment.
Primary source
Reviewed: October 5, 2026.