Fund 50 Pain Flashcards
“Whatever the person experiencing
the pain says it is, existing whenever
the person says it does.” (McCaffery,
1968).
Influenced by many factors
1st phase
transduction - noxious stimuli.
even if a coma patient can’t express pain,
doesn’t mean they cant feel it.
Physiologic Reactions to Pain - Sympathetic stimulation: (fight the pain)
reactions that you would see from acute pain - fight or flight. ex. heart rate up, respiratory up, diaphorisis. DONT rely on vital signs for pain - they aren’t reliable.
● Pain threshold
amount of pain stimulation necessary before one
feels pain.
gate control theory
small fibers can be overridden in small fibers. use massage to override the pain.
Acute pain
3 months, beyond is chronic.
Nursing Process Assessment (don’t forget what you always forget)
always consider assessment first - pain is a vital sign.
5th VS, must be assessed at minimum with Vital Signs
Patient History
Allergies
Physical Assessment
don’t use complaint, use
reports pain
assessment (and she added a few - R & A - A migraine)
Subjective assessment remember pain is
whatever and whenever patient says it is.
Location
Intensity; use pain rating scale
Quality
Time and duration
Precipitating and aggravating factors
Relieving factors
Associated symptoms - migraine - are naseau and vomiting present.
(father reported toe pain, and no one looked. you must remove ted hose and inspect every shift)
nursing diagnosis
Pain
Pain, Chronic
Pain, Acute
Mobility, Impaired physical
planning (plan for realistic and measurable)
Set realistic and measurable goals in order to achieve maximal level of functioning. How can patient achieve it? ex - a patient who has intractable pain, pain scale of 1 or 2, unrealistic. a
What is acceptable pain level for patient?
interventions - Noninvasive***
not to be used as a substitute for pharmacologic measures for mod to severe pain.
Removal of painful stimuli
Relaxation- deep breathing
Massage
Guided imagery
Distraction
Noninvasive Interventions***
Cutaneous Stimulation - massage
Cold or heat packs - good research on cold. getting more research on heat, but inflammatory not good in the first 24 hours due to inflammation. alternate hot and cold is good.
Menthol ointments’
Contralateral Stimulation - knee surgery, they have pain on affected knee. you can massage opposite knee to help with taht
TENS***
Noninvasive
Interventions
use buzzing bee above head in pediatrics before treatment
Hypnosis
Biofeedback
TENS
Pharmacological Interventions - dependent or independent?
THIS IS a Dependent function and requires a MD order. (Dependent requires MD order, independent does not)
WHO analgesic ladder (developed to treat cancer pain, also used for chronic pain)
CDC Recommendations
Pharmacologic Interventions
Nonopioid Agents
NSAIDS (careful of kidney effect, also GI symptoms, and cardiac effects for older adults - not recommended)
Tylenol poor anti-inflammatory actions (good choice because it has least side effects - only issue is liver issues. make sure safe if someone drinks alcohol)
COX-2 Inhibitors - only one left on market is celebrex. works well for arthritis, but risk for older adults of heart attack and stroke.
These all have a ceiling effect. They won’t work if you take more. Give more bc it’s anti-inflammatory. Tylenol is 1000 mg.
Opioids work on what system of the body?
work at level of CNS
• Morphine (gold standard - measure everything against this)
• Hydromorphone
• Fentanyl
• Oxycodone
• Demerol (it’s mostly been taken out of hospitals a long time ago. there is a risk of seizure. its a good treatment for riggers - severe shivering) : Only for short-term use
Assessment - Sedation Scale: #1
1 – awake & alert
side effects
Respirations (need to monitor for this) always report respiratory w/ ppl on opiates, even if it’s normal.
Pruritis (itching)
Constipation (treatment?)
N & V (naseau and vomiting)
You will build a tolerance for all of these EXCEPT constipation
Adjunctive Medications
Enhance pain control or relieve symptoms associated with pain
Examples:
anticonvulsants i.e. Neurontin
Tricyclic antidepressants i.e. Elavil
Corticosteriods i.e. decadron (inflammation of brain, decadron will help)
Benzodiazepenes i.e. valium
narcan
be careful, don’t adminster entire 4 mg bc they will go into withdrawals and high BP. they will wake up mad. need to monitor them.
equianalgesics (equan is equal)
used to compare doses from one med to another. ie - morphine to dilaudid.
placebo
35 year old male admitted for back pain
Reports pain scale 8/10
Comfort Goal 3/10
Order: Saline 1mL intramuscular injection every
3 hours as needed for moderate to severe pain
What action would you take? clarify the order, but it won’t work. this is unethical. You will lose your license.
Scheduling
Utilize a preventative approach when scheduling.
Before a painful event
ATC if pain is present most of the day
ATC vs PRN Around the clock is most effective and
most appropriate choice for pain management. May
use prn for breakthrough pain
Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) - patient controls dosing. there is a lock out. No one should press it but the patient, even the nurse. if they are overly sedated, they can’t press the button
usually no more than 5 day prescription. usually try to get patient off before they leave hospital.
administration routes
Oral - rectal - intramuscular
- subcutaneous - Intravenous
- PCA (patient-controlled
analgesia) - Transdermal
Epidural & intrathecal
administration
most dangerous route is IM - because the absorption is not steady. can result in aspiration, abcesses.
safest route is oral.
evaluation
Must document, evaluation, and perform assessment every time. Imperative to assess effectiveness of
interventions and document. Also important to
evaluate for potential side effects in relation to
interventions and document.
geriatric considerations - start with what?
start w/ acetominophen, then opioids (low dose), NSAID/cox 2. if patient has other signs of pain, pacing, etc. assume pain is present and medicate.
Sensory Deprivation (think of the senses)
hearing, vision, not having glasses. confusion w/ older adults. interventions - try to orient them. turn on TV or music. engage in conversation. have family members come by. move closer to nurse’s station, shared room. activities outside of room.
pathology of pain - Nociceptive Pain: (muscles and organs are nociceptive to pain)***
caused by damage to somatic or
visceral tissue (can sharp or stabbing)
pathology of pain - Neuropathic pain***
pain sustained by abnormal processing of sensory input by peripheral or CNS (use gaba)
physiological response to pain - Parasympathetic - think of your stomach when you get a migraine
bp decreases, nausea, vomiting, - can be severe or viseral pain (migraine) heart attack.
physiological response to pain - psychological factors
chronic pain - suicide.
● Pain tolerance
amount of pain one is willing to endure. need to take pain before it gets really bad - harder to get down when it’s so high.
● Drug dependence
physical (ex steroid - cannot abpurtly stop) also opioids.
psychological - craving for a drug to relieve pain. it is a brain disorder. requires multidisciplinary approach.