Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Although central post-stroke pain is widely recognized as a severe chronic neuropathic pain condition, its consolidated definition, clinical characteristics, and diagnostic criteria have not been defined due to its clinically diverse features. The present study was undertaken to comprehensively review current literature and provide a more complete picture of central post-stroke pain with respect to its definition, prevalence, pathophysiology, clinical characteristics, and diagnostic problems, and to describe the range of therapies currently available. In particular, nursing care perspectives are addressed. It is hoped that this review will help nurses become knowledgeable about central post-stroke pain and provide valuable information for the drafting of effective nursing care plans that improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with central post-stroke pain.
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Patients seeking emergency care for abdominal pain still experience poor pain management. Pain intensity is not always seen as a mandatory parameter in the initial nurse assessment. Despite the development of nurse-initiated analgesic protocols, many patients do not receive analgesics in the emergency department. ⋯ Nurses in emergency departments play a crucial role, in that their initial assessment is of specific importance for the patient's further care and whether the patient may or may not receive analgesics. However, more attention has to be paid to patients' experiences and their expectations regarding the pain management in the emergency department. These complex questions have to be studied further in a more systematic way.
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Many individuals suffering from arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (AORD) supplement pharmacologic treatments with psychosocial interventions. One promising approach, guided imagery, has been reported to have positive results in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and is a highly scalable treatment for those with AORD. The main purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of RCTs that have examined the effects of guided imagery on pain, function, and other outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with AORD. ⋯ All studies reported statistically significant improvements in the observed outcomes. Guided imagery appears to be beneficial for adults with AORD. Future theory-based studies with cost-benefit analyses are warranted.
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Chronic pain is a devastating amalgam of symptoms that affects millions of Americans at tremendous cost to our healthcare system and, more importantly, to patients' quality of life. Literature and research demonstrate that neuroimmune cells called glia are not only responsible for initiating and maintaining part of the chronic pain disease process, but also release inflammatory molecules responsible for decreasing the efficacy of one of the most prominent treatments for pain, opioid analgesia. This article describes chronic pain as a disease process that has ineffective treatment modalities, explores the mechanisms of glial cell activation and inflammatory responses that lead to chronic pain and decreased opioid treatment efficacy, and hypothesizes novel chronic pain treatment modalities based on the glial cell inactivation and anti-inflammatory pathways.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effects of Open and Closed Suctioning Systems on Pain in Newborns Treated with Mechanical Ventilation.
This experimental study was conducted to compare the effects of open and closed suctioning systems on pain in newborns receiving ventilation support. The study sample consisted of 42 babies (23 female, 16 male) hospitalized in the unit between December 2010 and December 2011 who met the selection criteria established for the study. Using the random sampling method, 20 of the babies were included in the closed suctioning system group and the remaining 22 were analyzed in the open suctioning system group. ⋯ Results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference between the open suctioning and closed suctioning groups (p = .194). However, the N-PASS pain scores obtained before and during the suctioning processes were significantly different (p < .001). In conclusion, babies seem to experience pain during the suctioning process, according to N-PASS scores, and although not significant statistically, the level of pain felt during open suctioning was observed to be slightly higher compared with closed suctioning.