Orthopaedic nursing
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Postoperative pain remains undertreated. Barriers to adequate postoperative analgesia include lack of knowledge regarding pain and its management, inadequate assessment, preconceived notions by nurses and physicians regarding pain and addiction, and the continued use of PRN administration of medications instead of active intervention on a scheduled basis. ⋯ Principles regarding the use of these analgesics guide the nurse to use these drugs to their greatest effect. The special needs of the very young and the elderly must also be considered.
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Orthopaedic nursing · May 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialPreventive pain management in the postoperative hand surgery patient.
The purpose of this quasi-experimental clinical study was to investigate differences in postoperative pain management within the hand surgical population. The research question proposed: Is there a difference in the pain experience between postoperative patients who receive an analgesic upon onset of sensation and those who receive an analgesic upon onset of pain? The effectiveness of pain management was compared for two groups of randomly assigned, adult, orthopaedic patients who had undergone elective hand surgery using axillary block anesthesia. The results of this study concluded that more effective pain control was achieved when patients were medicated upon onset of sensation versus onset of pain.
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Patients are asked to give informed consent for both treatment and research protocols. Yet, is their consent really informed? This article focuses on the information component of informed consent. The author discusses informed consent as it relates to the ethical principle of respect for autonomy, presents nurses' perceptions of informed consent, and makes several recommendations that nurses can use to ensure that consent is informed.
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Hypothermia can induce profound physiologic changes. There are varying degrees of hypothermia, each requiring aggressive methods of treatment. ⋯ The degree of hypothermia is affected by age, severity of illness, environmental exposure, and the presence of open wounds. It is important for all nurses who work with trauma patients in the perioperative phase to incorporate the assessment and planning to prevent or minimize hypothermia in the trauma patient.
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Orthopaedic nursing · Mar 1993
Case ReportsPhysiologic and behavioral responses of children receiving intermittent intravenous morphine following orthopaedic surgery.
The purpose of this study was to describe the physiologic and behavioral responses of children receiving intermittent intravenous morphine following orthopaedic surgery. The nonrandomized sample was made up of 29 children between the ages of 6 months and 11 years. Subjects received morphine IV push over 5 minutes (0.1 mg/kg body weight) every 3-4 hours prn. ⋯ Subjects received a total of 199 doses of morphine. Physiologic data were analyzed using repeated measures of variance with Waller-Duncan multiple comparison procedures. The results of this study support the safe and effective use of intravenous morphine in children 6 months to 11 years following orthopaedic surgery.