Articles: pain-management.
-
Jt Comm J Qual Improv · Jul 2001
Using outcome evaluations to assess interdisciplinary acute and chronic pain programs.
Outcome evaluations can be useful for reassuring patients that their time and effort are well spent on treatment and for providing staff with confidence in their treatment provision. Outcome evaluations were carried out in 1997 and 1999 to assess two initiatives for the treatment of patients within the Regina Health District (RHD), Saskatchewan, Canada-the Chronic Pain Team Evaluation and Management (CP TEAM) Service and the Acute Injury Management (AIM) Program. STUDY 1: The CP Team Service was an individualized interdisciplinary treatment program intended to serve patients with chronic pain. Of 47 eligible chronic pain patients, 36 participants completed treatment within 15 months, and 27 completed follow-up questionnaires on discharge; the comparison group was composed of the remaining 11 nontreated participants, 8 of whom responded to follow-up questionnaires. Only patients in the treatment group reported a decrease in pain and a decrease in interference in activities. Overall, satisfaction with treatment received was high. STUDY 2: The AIM Program was intended to aid employees with acute musculoskeletal injuries who could not perform regular job duties. Following injury, employees were contacted by an occupational health nurse and informed of the program. If the employee was interested, the AIM coordinator carried out an assessment and designed an individualized treatment package, including physical therapy, exercise therapy, and/or occupational therapy. Treatment was expected to continue until the employee returned to normal duties. Of 72 eligible employees, 43 employees participated and 29 opted not to participate-15 of whom agreed to participate as control participants for this study. Of the employees receiving AIM, 20 agreed to participate in this study. Of the employees not participating in AIM, 15 agreed to participate as control participants. Although pain and interference were greater among AIM participants before commencing treatment, by the end of treatment participants had improved more in level of pain severity and interference compared with controls. All participants reported improved job function over time. AIM participants, however, reported lower job function before treatment than control participants and similar job function after treatment- and indicated they were highly satisfied with the service they received. ⋯ Evaluations are not only used to assess program outcomes but are an important aspect of program validation and development. Data collection was incorporated, as much as possible, into routine treatment protocols and staff focused on obtaining essential information regarding patient outcomes rather than the whole scope of information.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Immersion in water in the first stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial.
Current forms of analgesia often have significant side effects for women in labor. Bathing in warm water during labor has been reported to increase a woman's comfort level and cause a reduction in painful contractions. The objective of this trial was to compare immersion in warm water during labor with traditional pain management for a range of clinical and psychological outcomes. ⋯ Bathing in labor confers no clear benefits for the laboring woman but may contribute to adverse effects in the neonate.
-
Management of pain in the trauma patient is a complex issue requiring the ability to selectively match different injuries and patient situations with the most optimal pain management methods. Having an understanding of the various stages of trauma care helps clinicians to best support the goals of patient care while decreasing the detrimental effects of the stress response through good pain control interventions. When nurses have a good understanding of the various pain management interventions they are better able to assess the effectiveness, potential side effects, and goals of therapy. ⋯ Use of nonopioid drugs, if not contraindicated should be considered in all trauma patients. This is especially true for patients sustaining trauma and being discharged to home within 24 hours. They need to be educated about the pain they can expect the next day and how to judge if it is normal and expected or possibly the sign of a missed injury or developing complication (i.e., compartment svndrome infection).
-
Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Jun 2001
ReviewAssessment and management of pain in the critically ill pediatric patient.
Alhough considerable progress has been made in the past decade in the study of pain in children, numerous myths, inadequate assessment, and insufficient knowledge of available treatment continue to contribute to the lack of effective management of children's pain. Clinicians who lack knowledge have misconceptions about pain contribute more to the problem than to the problem's solution. Adequate analgesia is to be provided to even the sickest child the medications, techniques, and approaches reviewed here.
-
To identify factors that may influence the implementation of acute pain management guidelines in hospital settings. ⋯ Resource availability significantly influences the implementation of pain management practice guidelines in hospital settings. Implementation is often incomplete because various factors affect the feasibility of individual guideline elements and may explain the varying results that guidelines have had on clinical practices.