Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Undertreatment of pain is a significant problem. Nursing pain assessments have been identified as an area for improvement. This concept analysis sought to examine the use of pain interference as a measurement to assist pain management practices. ⋯ Pain interference has been linked to quality of pain management and recommended as a standard of pain measurement. It aligns with current and emerging theories in pain and symptom control. Further exploration is needed to determine whether integrating this concept into nursing practice will result in improved patient pain experiences.
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Acupressure is a complementary treatment that uses fingers and hands to stimulate acupoints and maintains the balance of energy. The objective of this study was to review the application of acupressure in managing different pains and the effectiveness of acupressure on relieving pain in various settings. A systematic review of English articles using the databases of MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was performed using the search terms of "acupressure" and "pain." Studies during which acupressure was applied as an intervention and assessed for its effectiveness on relieving pain were selected. ⋯ Acupressure has been shown to be effective for relieving a variety of pains in different populations. The review begins to establish a credible evidence base for the use of acupressure in pain relief. The implication for health care providers would be incorporating acupressure into their practice as an alternative therapy to facilitate patients who suffer from pain.
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Nurses play a crucial role in the evaluation and treatment of pain in the critically ill patient. This responsibility is all the more critical with this particular population because many may not be able to self-report their pain level and the typical behavioral signs of pain may be subtle or absent. According to recent recommendations, vital signs should not be used as primary indicators of pain but rather considered as a cue to begin further assessment. ⋯ Current NIRS techniques have well recognized limitations which must be considered carefully during the measurement and interpretation of signals. Thus, its clinical use is yet to be fully established. Nonetheless, cerebral NIRS technique as an approach to assess brain activity in response to pain should not be abandoned.
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Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder that affects an estimated 5 million adults in the U. S. The hallmark is burning, searing, tingling, shooting, stabbing, deep aching, or sharp pain. ⋯ The paper concludes by considering the implications of the findings of the review for explanations of fibromyalgia pain by nurses working in multidisciplinary teams. The trend appears to be able to explain the cause of fibromyalgia pain in terms of sensitization per se. The recommended alternative is to explain fibromyalgia pain in terms of changes in pain sensitivity and the role of underlying neural and psychosocial mechanisms.
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Pain control in the acute care setting is repeatedly described in the literature as problematic. The purpose of this clinical research project was to evaluate an educational intervention designed to improve the management of pain in an acute care setting. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention design was used. ⋯ Results of this project have precipitated major changes regarding the management of pain in this institution. A pain steering committee has been formed and additional unit-based projects have been conducted. The challenge of finding the most effective method for changing biases toward specific patient populations and increasing knowledge regarding pain management remains.