Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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This was a retrospective chart review of procedural pain assessments and interventions during arterial catheter insertion in an adult neurological intensive care unit where patients with impaired consciousness are common. Overall, pain assessment was well documented (100%) by Registered Nurses, but not specific to arterial line insertion. Nurse practitioners commonly placed arterial lines and used local analgesia in over 75% of the documented procedures. ⋯ The lack of procedural pain assessment in this vulnerable population indicates a need for increased pain management education for clinicians and further investigations to determine whether sufficient analgesia is provided to reduce procedural pain during arterial line insertion.
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Postoperative pain is a major concern of patients undergoing surgery. Pain assessment for patients undergoing surgery is a common requirement for surgical nurses and is the most important nursing approach to ensuring patient comfort. ⋯ These findings have the potential to lead to a diverse range of nursing education modalities related to the adoption of different focuses and actions in postoperative pain assessment.