Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Pain is a subjective and multidimensional experience often inadequately managed following surgery. Postoperative pain has been shown to correlate with hospital length of stay (HLOS) and hospital complications. Given advancements in preemptive pain management approaches, reevaluation is necessary. ⋯ Pain intensity post colorectal surgery was not a risk factor for extended HLOS or in-hospital complications. In contradistinction, tending to patient needs, adequate analgesic use, and reducing infection rates can shorten HLOS, improve health outcomes, and economize health care resources.
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All nurses should receive training and education regarding pain as part of their pre-graduate stage, as its assessment and appropriate management when treating patients largely depends on them. With the right knowledge it is possible to reduce its high prevalence, as well as the serious consequences it can lead to. ⋯ Specific training in palliative care improves the students' knowledge regarding pain, although the results did not reach an acceptable minimum. The universities' training programs for Spanish students need to be adapted in order to achieve better results.
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The public health crisis of chronic pain has only increased in recognition since the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Relieving Pain in America (2011) called for a cultural transformation in the way pain is viewed, treated, and put forward specific recommendations for action. The National Pain Strategy (NPS) provides a roadmap for putting these recommendations into practice. We implemented a program that placed nurses and behavioral specialists at the head of an interdisciplinary team utilizing best practices. ⋯ This program promoted professional growth in nurses along with fostering success for patients. Compared with patients receiving usual care, patients in the program achieved greater reductions in pain severity, pain-related disability, and pain-related functional interference and reported greater satisfaction with pain-related care and primary care services. This article will detail the NPS-aligned practice approaches these nurses and their teams used, describe the training for the nurses, and speak to opportunities to enhance the nurse's capacity for this role in hopes of providing a model for the future implementation of an NPS-based approach by nurses.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparing Analgesia on an As-Needed Basis to Traditional Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Within Fast-Track Orthopedic Procedures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
The aim was to determine if the use of intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA) in a fast-track joint replacement program is associated with increased use of perioperative opioid consumption and increased length of hospital stay. ⋯ IVPCA was associated with nonsignificant reduction in opioid exposure in elective total knee arthroplasty surgery within 48 hours. Neither group was superior in terms of length of hospital stay, opioid related side-effects, pain scores, and patient satisfaction.
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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic influences of COPD patients. The worsening of their health status may contribute to a higher pain prevalence. ⋯ We concluded that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a rise the pronociceptive pain profile accompanied by increased psychological vulnerability.