These are well established and
incorporated into the World Health
Organization (WHO, 1996) analgesic
ladder. The analgesic ladder relates to
the intensity of pain:
Step 1 = mild pain, paracetamol
and NSAIDs
Step 2 = moderate pain,
paracetamol, NSAIDs and mild
opiates
Step 3 = severe pain, paracetamol,
NSAIDs and strong opiates.