Social aspects of pain Flashcards
Definition of Pain
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.
Key points of pain definition
- Subjective experience
- Psychological component
- May not be associated with a pathological process
How does Affect and Beliefs influence pain perception?
- Learned behaviour & memory
- Pain beliefs
- Expectations of pain / pain management
How does personality influence pain perception?
- Coping style affects pain perception
- -Pain catastrophizing
- -Self efficacy
- Extroverts more frequently report pain and receive higher levels of analgesics
- High levels of anxiety linked to high levels of pain
How does lifestyle factors influence pain perception?
- Exercise
- Smoking
- Alcohol intake
- Stress
How does Co-morbidities influence pain perception?
- Psychological
- -Depression
- -Anxiety
- Substance misuse
- Previous trauma
How does Social Isolation influence pain perception?
- Elderly
- Disabled patients
Race / ethnicity difference in pain tolerance?
- Conflicting findings
- False beliefs about biological differences between black and white people
Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment
- Increased empathy for people recognized as like self
- Racial bias in perceptions of others’ pain.
- Inadequate pain treatment for minority groups
Healthcare professionals need to be aware of:
- Complex nature of pain
- Potential impact of co-morbidities and social factors
- Inherent bias in pain assessment and treatment
Good communication with patients reporting pain is essential
- Listen to patients concerns / views / expectations
- Provide sympathy
Patient focused treatment
- Education to promote self-management
- Non pharmacological treatment strategies
- Pharmacological treatment (one aspect of treatment)
Purpose of pain assessment (3)
- To establish patients current pain experience
- To aid decision making; selection of most appropriate treatment
- To evaluate the effectiveness of any interventions
Range of pain assessment techniques can be adopted
- Unstructured or semi-structured interviews
- Pain measurement tools
- Pain diaries
- Direct observation
- Observation by significant others such as family members
Neuropathic Pain (5)
Shooting, tingling, numbness, like and electric shock, burning like a fire.
Somatic pain (4)
Achy, throbbing, dull, well localised
Visceral pain (4)
Cramping, pressure, distension, deep.
Acute pain duration
Less than 3 months
Acute pain causes
Injury, disease, surgery
Acute pain treatment
Fast and focused
Chronic pain duration
Longer than 3 months
Chronic pain causes
Not always obvious
Persists beyond healing time
Maybe multifactorial
Chronic pain treatment
Multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted
Goals for acute pain management
-Provide a level of pain control which allows the person to actively participate in their recovery/function
-Minimise side effects of analgesics
-Uncontrolled pain should trigger
Re-assessment of diagnosis or, Consideration of surgical complications
