Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
-
Assessment and management of pain are among the skills that perianesthesia nurses need to deliver safe and effective care. The principles of pain management remain fairly consistent across all age groups. However, managing the pain of elderly surgical patients presents unique challenges. ⋯ Consequently, during the perioperative period, the nurse must manage both the patient's chronic and acute pain. As a group, the elderly are more vulnerable to inadequate pain assessment and treatment and are more likely to have serious side effects of analgesic therapy. Therefore, this report highlights the unique aspects of pain management in elderly patients.
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Dec 1999
Jordanian nurses' roles in the management of postoperative pain in the postanesthesia care unit.
One of the most important patient care issues for nurses is pain because of its significant impact on patients' well-being. Therefore, the main purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the role of Jordanian nurses in the management of postoperative pain in the PACU. A convenience sample of 42 postoperative patients was included in this study. ⋯ Findings from this study indicated that nurses in Jordan pay little attention to the area of assessment and management of postoperative pain. Cultural issues were discussed in light of the perception of pain and management of postoperative pain among Jordanian patients. Recommendations related to nursing practice, education, and research were developed to improve the quality of nursing care provided to postoperative patients in Jordan.
-
Effective preoperative communication and an awareness of the mechanisms and treatment of neurogenic pain by nursing staff directly influence the choice of intraoperative and postoperative pain management. This article describes the case study of a young woman with neurogenic pain and highlights the importance of having a working knowledge of this type of pain, its assessment, and treatment.
-
Pruritus and urticaria frequently occur during the perianethesia period. Knowledge of the physiology of these symptoms can assist the perianesthesia nurse to identify the appropriate nursing and medical interventions.
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Oct 1999
ReviewWhat can the postanesthesia care unit manager do to decrease costs in the postanesthesia care unit?
The economic structure of the PACU dictates whether a cost-reducing intervention (e.g., reducing the length of time patients stay in the PACU) is likely to decrease hospital costs. Cost-reducing interventions, such as changes in medical practice patterns (e.g., to reduce PACU length of stay), only impact variable costs. How PACU nurses are paid (e.g., salaried v hourly) affects which strategies to decrease PACU staffing costs will actually save money. ⋯ Surgeons, for example, may not want to lose control over the order of their cases. Guidelines for analysis of past daily peak numbers of patients are provided that will provide data to predict the minimum adequate number of nurses needed. Though many managers already do this manually on an ad hoc basis statistical methods summarized in this article may increase the accuracy.