Pain Management free essay sample

There are many healthcare problems that can be discussed I chose to discuss the problem of management of acute and chronic pain. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects proper pain management on nursing practice, population most effected by chronic and acute pain, ways to improve pain management from a nursing perspective. Practice Setting Problem The proper managing of acute and chronic pain is a hot topic in the field of nursing. The poor management of pain by nursing is well a documented problem. Of the five vital signs pain is the most subjective of them all. It is one vital sign that cannot be measured by any machine only the patient knows his or her level of pain. In nursing school assessment courses nurses are taught that the pain level is what the patient says it is and should be treated accordingly. Treating a patient pain level according to what the patient states is his or her pain levels is not always a common practice. We will write a custom essay sample on Pain Management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Importance of the Clinical Problem and its Significance to Nursing Practice As a nurse there is an obligation to patients to advocate on there behalf. According to the American Nurses Associations (ANA) position statement on Pain Management and Control of Distressing Symptoms in Dying Patients it’s the nurses obligation to his or her patient to administer effective doses of prescribed medications for symptom control. ANA also states nurses have a moral obligation to advocate on a patients behalf when the pain management regime prescribed is not effective. The textbook tells us that BSN prepared RN are much better prepared to implement Evidence Based Practice (EBP) than an ADN prepared nurse (Brown, 2012). The use of EBP requires nurses to review research, implement and evaluate outcome. ADN nurses are traditional taught more of the clinical aspect of nursing while in school where as BSN nurses have EBP incorporated into their nursing curriculum. The exposure to EBP for BSN prepared RN’s early on in their career’s give them the advantage of being comfortable with EBP in their nursing practice. Impact on Patient and Community According to a survey call Postoperative Analgesic Therapy Observational Survey (PATHOS) fewer than half of postoperative patients receive adequate pain management postoperatively (Benhamou, 2008). Uncontrolled pain postoperatively leads to longer hospital stays and increase in financial strain on patients. The average cost per day of a hospital stay is over 2,000 dollars. Uncontrolled pain postoperatively can also lead to delay in initiating mobilization of the patient. This delay in mobilization puts the patient at risk for issues such as thrombus, pneumonia from inadequate lung expansion due to pain, urinary retention, and fear and anxiety are just a few associated risk. Poor post- operative pain management often leads to repeat visits to the hospital seeking adequate pain control. Delayed recovery due too inadequate pain management often is a source of lost wages and productivity for the patient that ultimately has a trickle down economic effect. Another area of care that has a high rate of inadequately controlled pain management complaints is Emergency Room. According to a study conducted in the United States patient presenting to the emergency room complaining of pain reported a median pain score of 8 out of 10, and a pain score of 6 at discharge. About 41% of patients reported their pain was not alleviated or increased after an emergency room visit, and almost 75% reported moderate to severe pain at discharge (Todd, 2007). Some of the causes of inadequate pain management in the Emergency Room include failure to acknowledge pain, opiophobia, racial, and gender bias. Age biases exist in the emergency rooms a treatment of pain mostly geared toward the elderly patients. The reports of poor pain management in the emergency room are largely blamed on the gap in time between initial assessment of pain and the actually treatment of the pain. The poor pain management in the emergency room much like poor post operative pain management cause increases in the cost of health care and repeat visits to the emergency room for treatment. Difference in Care Based on Evidence The implementation of EBP as it relates to adequate pain management would lower the cost of patient care and increase patient satisfaction with the care received. EBP implementation would lower cost by decreasing the length stay and lower return visits for pain management. Changes that would have to happen in nursing practice setting would be speedy initial assessment, intervention in a timely manner, education of patients as well as family, and reevaluation of interventions in a timely manner. Summary Ineffective pain management is a huge problem in healthcare today. The implementation EBP guidelines as relates to pain management would be a step in the right direction. Nursing practice must change and evolve thru research to better meet the needs of patients.