Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Enlisted women are an essential subpopulation within the United States (U. S.) Armed Services, yet little is known about their chronic pain experiences. The purpose of this study was to describe veteran enlisted women's chronic pain experiences, both while on active duty and since active duty ended. ⋯ Chronic pain eventually leads to discharge or retirement when they can no longer do their job. Health care providers must understand both U. S. military culture and enlisted women's strategies concerning pain if they are to accurately diagnose and sufficiently treat enlisted women in pain.
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This study set out to obtain a picture of pediatric pain management practices in one English hospital. Data were collected on two wards. Nonparticipant observation combined with a chart audit was used to collect data about actual practices. ⋯ As in other studies, pain management practices do not adhere to current guidelines in all areas, and children appear to be experiencing moderate to severe pain. Despite this, parents and children indicated that they were happy with the quality of pain management. There is a need to explore this further and to identify strategies that support the implementation of guidelines in practice.
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Observational Study
Description of behaviors in nonverbal critically ill patients with a traumatic brain injury when exposed to common procedures in the intensive care unit: a pilot study.
Behavioral indicators are strongly recommended for pain assessment in nonverbal patients. Although pain-related behaviors have been studied in critically ill patients, those with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been either excluded or underrepresented. Because these patients also likely experience pain, research is urgently needed to generate knowledge in this field. ⋯ After educational training and using videos, the average percentage of agreement for observed behaviors between two trained research assistants was 96%. Pain in critically ill TBI patients can be detrimental to health and recovery. ICU clinicians should be aware of pain-related behaviors to enable better detection and treatment in this highly vulnerable group.
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Effective pain management requires accurate knowledge, attitudes, and assessment skills. The purpose of the present study was to describe Turkish pediatric surgical nurses' knowledge and use of pain assessment and nonpharmacologic and environmental methods in relieving newborn's pain in hospital. The sample consisted of 111 pediatric surgical nurses employed in pediatric surgical unit in 15 university hospitals located in Turkey. ⋯ The most commonly used nonpharmacologic methods were giving nonnutritive sucking, skin-to-skin contact, and holding. The most commonly used environmental methods were avoiding talking loudly close to the baby, minimal holding, care when opening and closing of the incubator, avoiding making noise when using wardrobe, drawers, trash, or nearby devices, such as radio and television, avoiding sharp fragrances, such as alcohol, perfume, near the baby, and reducing light sources. Although Turkish pediatric surgical nurses used some of the nonpharmacological and environmental methods in infant's pain relief, there remains a need for more education about pain management and for more frequent use of these methods in clinical care.
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A bone marrow biopsy is considered to be painful, often causing anxiety. We observed large differences between patients and wondered which factors cause pain and anxiety. In a prospective study, 202 patients were analyzed. ⋯ Length or artifacts of the core biopsy did not correlate with pain. In conclusion, bone marrow biopsies performed in an optimal setting by experienced hematologists cause only mild pain, with, however, some patients experienced serious problems. To reduce pain, not only careful local anesthesia, but also the addition of systemic analgesics and especially anxiety reduction seems to be useful.