Pain Management

PAIN MANAGEMENT WITH THE CORRECT TOOLS Lorin Fernandez TESC Health Assessment NUR-416 Dr. Pamela S. Card February 24, 2013 Introduction Cancer patients, end of life patients, patients with chronic diseases, and patients with a simple complaint of pain are all entitled to the best pain management available for their specific needs. This topic is of particularly important for nursing professionals who need to have the knowledge to adequately assess and manage a patient’s pain with the correct tools in the various clinical settings.

Pain is not one dimensional; author Hughes presents a detailed article describing all three chronic pain syndromes that are relevant to palliative care. Authors Arbour and Gelinas provide a glimpse into the implementation of the newly created Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT). Arbour, C. , & Gelinas, C. (2011, December). Setting Goals For Pain Management When Using A Behavioral Scale: Example With The Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool. Critical Care Nurse, 31(6), 66-68. ttp://dx. doi. org/Ebscohost The article presents the new implementation of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT). The CPOT was developed to help critical care nurses recognize pain in their critical nonverbal patients. The tool has been developed to help the healthcare provider assess the patient’s pain through a whole body assessment. The table incorporates a facial expression marker, body movement, ventilator assessment, and muscle tension evaluation.

The scores are rated from 0 to 2 in each category with a total score from 0 to 8. The behavioral observational tool has been shown to be effective in helping nurses discriminate between pain and other states of anxiety or fear. Hughes, I. D. (2012, July). Assessment and management of pain in older patients receiving palliative care. Advanced illness, 24(6), 23-29. http://dx. doi. org/EbsCohost Palliative by definition is relieving pain or alleviating a problem without dealing with the underlying cause.

Patients in need of palliative care for the most part have a poor prognosis due to active progressive, advance disease. Author Hughes presents nursing to play a key role in palliative care because of the interaction with patients in their daily routine. Author Hughes also points how important it is to have a knowledgeable nursing staff that can properly aid patients in their time of need. Conclusion In essence the primary goal of palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life for patients utilizing pain management and holistic care to achieve patient comfort.

Both palliative and critical care settings utilize the three definitions of pain syndromes for pain management. Both palliative and critical care use their own set of tools specially designed to help aid in the treatment of their particular patient population. This author found the articles provided insight into two completely different therapeutic areas for which the primary goal is to properly treat, assess, and holistically manage patient’s pain. References Arbour, C. , & Gelinas, C. (2011, December). Setting Goals For Pain Management When Using A Behavioral Scale:Example With The Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool. Critical Care Nurse, 31(6), 66-68. http://dx. doi. org/Ebscohost Hughes, I. D. (2012, July). Assessment and management of pain in older patients receiving palliative care. Advanced illness, 24(6), 23-29. http://dx. doi. org/EbsCohost