First published in 1986 by Year Book Medical Publishers which subsequently became part of Elsevier, the book's target audiences are medical residents, practicing anesthesiologists, and pain research fellows.

[2] The current edition includes contributions from international authors, with new chapters covering ultrasound-guided techniques in regional anesthesiology and pain management procedures.

[citation needed] The second edition of Practical Management of Pain was described in The New England Journal of Medicine as "a masterly, readable, comprehensive treatise".

[3] The third edition was recognized in Anesthesia and Analgesia as "a definitive text for the care of the pain patient.

[2] Although the fourth edition of Practical Management of Pain received criticism for being biased towards a North American readership, it was acknowledged as a "trusted reference source" for both trainees and consultants in pain medicine.