Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
-
The most painful activities during the days following cardiac surgery are coughing and deep breathing exercises. Cold therapy is an effective nonpharmacological method that decreases the pain during coughing and mobilization. In this study, the effects of cold therapy on pain and breathing exercises among patients with median sternotomy following cardiac surgery were investigated in a randomized crossover clinical trial. ⋯ Although the interaction between the treatment and time was significant (partial eta-squared: .09), the gel-pack group had a lower change in average pain levels. This interaction was not significant in terms of spirometric values. In conclusion, cold therapy had a positive effect on pain management in the early period of post-cardiac surgery but was not effective for the pain associated with breathing exercises.
-
Editorial Biography Historical Article
Jo Eland May Be Gone, but Her Legacy Remains.
-
Providing effective pain management is necessary for all patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Because of developmental considerations, caring for children may provide additional challenges. The purpose of this literature review is to describe key challenges in providing effective pain management in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), with the aim of bringing about a better understanding by health care providers caring for children. ⋯ In the treatment level (level three), nonpharmacological interventions factors; alterations in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications to be used for pain management in critically ill children; and the complexity of the administration of sedatives, analgesics, and paralytic agents in critically ill children are the main challenges. Health care providers can bear in mind such important challenges in order to provide effective pain management. Health care providers can increase the use of available evidence for pain management.
-
Clinician empathy is a well-documented component of effective patient/provider communication. Evidence surrounding the association between patient perspectives on clinician empathy and perception of pain management is currently limited, particularly among patients with chronic pain and depression. The aim of this study was to analyze patients' perspectives on the emergent theme of empathy and describe how patients construct their experiences and expectations surrounding empathic interactions. ⋯ Patients with chronic pain and depression claimed that empathy helped them feel understood, believed, taken seriously, and that their needs were met. In demonstrating empathy and engaging in empathic interactions with patients, providers relate better to patients, better understand their life experience, and provide patient-centered care that is meaningful for patients, providers, and the health care systems within which they interact. Future research is needed to purposefully study the effects of empathic interactions on outcomes for patients with chronic pain and comorbid depression.
-
High-risk neonates experience numerous painful/stressful procedures daily in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Accumulated pain and stress have a detrimental impact on infants' neurodevelopment. Few valid tools are available to measure accumulated pain/stressors among NICU infants. ⋯ Nurses' perceptions of pain severity and acuity regarding procedures in NICUs varied somewhat. Further studies are needed in developing and validating the scale. The development of the APSS can quantitatively measure the accumulated neonatal pain/stress.