1180 Holistic Health Assessment ll Flashcards
Why is the subject of PAIN important?
- Pain is a universal symptom experienced by all at some point in their lives
- Pain is the primary reason clients access health care in Canada
- Pain can have a profound impact on a client’s function, quality of life, relationships, family structure, and financial resources, and mental health
- Nurses are the health professionals that most often assess and help manage client’s pain
International Association for the Study of Pain (2012)
“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual and potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such.”
What is the pathway, or physiology of pain?
- Nociceptors are PNS fibres and they carry painful stimuli to the CNS.
- They are located in various body tissues
- Activated by thermal, mechanical, and chemical stimuli.
Impulse PNS
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Spinal cord CNS
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Pain may be blocked/ allowed to continue
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Thalamus
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The limbic system (emotions to control pain produced here)
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Cerebral cortex (pain recognized here)
The 4 components of pain
- Sensory/ Physical
- Action in pain nerves and effect on physiological status, severity- first thing patients usually feel. Nerves pick up on stimuli until stimulations are blocked by meds or something. - Emotional/ Affective
- How the pain makes us feel, fear, and knowledge.
- Limbic system- emotions can make us feel things - Cognitive
- The effect of pain on behaviour, coping strategies, and what it means.
- Gives pain meaning and what you think about it - Social
- Our behaviour, how we react and respond.
- Influenced how other people react and we get cues from other people or I am getting a cue that we should stop talking about it.
Different ways to classify pain
DURATION
- Acute or Chronic
FREQUENCY
- Continuous or Intermittent
FORM
- Nociceptive or Neuropathic (nerve pain)
- Pain with no source ends up being neuropathic pain
- Neuropathic medication
ASSOCIATED WITH CANCER
- With cancer and / or with treatment for cancer.
-This actually gets its own class- bone pain is very bad
- Complex issue
What are the types of pain?
- nociceptive and neuropathic pain
- Visceral- organ pain. The lining of the abdomen and organs and the layers that cover organs will get infected
- Somatic pain- felt pain
- Cutaneous pain- superficial pain. Skin layers
- Referred- pain felt in one part of the body and origin is somewhere else. Gallbladder problems but pain shows up in shoulder blade.
- Parietal pain- the lining of the inside of the abdomen
NEUROPATHIC PAIN EXAMPLE: Phantom limb pain
What are the red flags for ACUTE pain assessment?
Acute pain is short in duration and should go away. I know where this is coming from, I know the origin, and I know it will go away.
Sudden onset is a red flag
; explosive headache- aneurism
; painful breathing
; chest pain
; abdominal pain
; severe pain unrelieved by appropriate medication- refractory pain is cause for concern
What to do in when assessing ACUTE PAIN?
New onset, indiscernible cause
what to do?
; focused/ emergent history
; involve others, family/ witnesses
; observation of the patient and their behaviours
The most reliable indicator of the existence of pain existence and its intensity is the CLIENT’S DESCRIPTION
The Patient’s Experience
WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE PAIN?
- age- more diseases, the immune system goes down with the combination of problems
- gender- women’s pain overlooked- menstrual pain can be dismissive
- culture
- spiritual
- family and social support
- the personal meaning of the pain
- levels of anxiety
- coping style
- fatigue
- previous experience of pain
What is the Role of the Nurse?
- the nurse is with the patient the most
- in the best position to observe and notice/ monitor changes
- one of the more important functions of the nurse is in the REASSESSMENT of pain- follow-up is key
- the nurse is well positioned to document pain, responses to pain, assessments of pain, outcomes of various treatments, SUBJECTIVE data- other clinicians need this data
- the nurse can make recommendations based on assessments- advocate for modifications of the treatment plan, communicate the client’s wishes, advocate for care, pain service
- the nurse can explore complementary/ companion/para-medicine therapies with the client if interested
- They ASSESS, TREAT, MONITOR
- Document pain
- Distract patient, bring ice, shift position
- Treatments need to change
What are the effects of poorly managed pain?
Poorly managed pain results in increased circulating stress hormones which contributes to:
- reduced cognitive/ mental function
- the immune system gets down so if you have unmanaged pain you can get sick easily
- sleeplessness, anxiety, fear
- high blood pressure (hyperglycemia)
- increased heart rate, increased cardiac output
- decreased depth of respiration, decreased cough, sputum retention
- muscle spasm, immobility
- decreased gastric and bowel mobility
- increased suffering for the client and loved ones
- potential for the development of chronic pain
OVERALL DECREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE
What are the ways to assess pain
- OLDCARTSS
- OPQRSTU
- Numeric pain severity scale
- Pain/ distress severity scale
- Visual analogue scale- FACES
- FLACC
- Brief pain inventory
- Universal pain assessment tool
What are the risk factors for Cardiovascular (Heart) Disease
- Family history
- Increased age
- Elevated cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugars levels or known diabetes Mellitus
- Ethnicity
- Obesity
- Cigarette smoking
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Diet, sodium
For females: menopause as risk for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) increase thereafter
Signs and Symptoms of potential CV problem
- Pain (chest, jaw, neck, left shoulder, left arm, sub-scapular, stomach pain)
- Shortness of breathe
- Dyspnea: difficulty breathing
- Orthopnea: inability to breathe when laying flat
- Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea: shortness of breath that wakes them up at night
- cough
- diaphoresis
- Lightheadedness: not enough blood flow to the brain
- Leg pain, ulcers to lower extermities: leg pain: often calf pain without much force being exerted on the muscle; arterial blood flow problem
- nausea vomiting
- edema: swelling, likely in the legs
- fatigue
Assessment of CV system: History
- Demographics/ SDoH
- OLDCARTSS
- Current/ recent symptoms
- Associated symptoms
- Inquire about respiratory concerns
- Ask about risk factors
- Discuss family history
- Ask about past medical history, meds, allergies
- Inquire about social history such as relationship
- FUNCTIONAL ABILITY (ADL, IADL)
Physical Assessment:
VITAL SIGNS
start with vital signs
thing about the results, compare the results
interpret the results in the patient’s own context
How are the vital signs related- which ones are influencing others?
Do the findings require urgent action or monitoring?
Physical Assessment:
INSPECTION
- general survey
- skin color
- respirations
- speech pattern
- diaphoresis
- size, shape of thorax
- fingers: nail-beds, clubbing
- landmarks
- abnormal pulsations
Physical Assessment:
PALPATION OF PULSES
Take note of the:
- rate
- rhythm
- strength/ volume: is it weak, thready, absent, normal, full, symmetry?
what pulse is considered objective data?
CAROTID PULSE ASSESSMENT
Auscultation: Unexpected Heart Sounds
- Murmurs: turbulence causing “swooshing” or “blowing” sound
Landmarking
5 areas for listening to the heart
All People Enjoy Time Magazine
Aortic
Pulmonic
ERB’S point
Tricuspid
Mitral
S2 is best heard using diaphragm of stethoscope at pulmonary area
S1 is best heart at the apex using bell of stethoscope