Avoiding Misconceptions in Pain Management

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

From Medscape.com

Release Date:May 14, 2001

Bruce R. Canaday, PharmD, FASHP, FAPhA, BCP Theresa A. Mays, PharmD, BCOP

Introduction

In 1990, the World Health Organization urged every country to give high priority to the management of cancer pain. Numerous publications and guidelines have been published since that time to improve the management of pain. Unfortunately, pain is still significantly undermanaged in our society. One main reason for this undertreated pain is the existence of several myths and misconceptions regarding pain management. It is the goal of this summary to dispel these myths and misconceptions.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/418521

[jadednurse]

I like this one...from the article...

Myth and Misconception #1:

Patients commonly complain of pain in excess of pathophysiology, but based on what is wrong with a patient and my observation of their behaviors, I can generally get a good sense of how much pain they are really having.

This is not true. Pain is whatever the patient says it is. Pain is a very personal experience and varies greatly between people. Pain is usually defined as:

". . . an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage."[5]

Pain is both a physical (nociceptive) and an emotional (suffering) experience. To assess a patient's pain, you must consider both the past and current pain and the treatments that have been used successfully and unsuccessfully.

Chronic and acute pain present differently. Patients who suffer from chronic pain lose the autonomic hyperactivity reactions seen in acute pain, such as tachycardia and diaphoreses.

Pain assessment must be done often, using the same assessment tool. Available methods to assess pain include pain questionnaires, visual analog scales, or verbal scales. The procedure for using a verbal scale is to ask the patient to rate their current pain based on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst possible pain. The patient should also use the scale to rate their pain at the best and worst in the previous 24 hours and the effect of any medications or interventions.