Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Little comparative information exists regarding the reliability and validity of pain rating scales for nurses to assess pain in people with moderate to severe dementia in residential aged care facilities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative psychometric merits of the Abbey Pain Scale, the DOLOPLUS-2 Scale, and the Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators Scale, three well-known pain rating scales that have previously been used to assess pain in nonverbal people with dementia. An observational study design was used. ⋯ This study has provided comparative evidence for the reliability and validity of three pain rating scales in a single sample. These scales are strong, objective adjuncts in making comprehensive assessments of pain in people who are unable to self-report pain due to moderate to severe dementia, with each having their own strengths and weaknesses. The DOLOPLUS-2 Scale provides more reliable measurement, and the Abbey Pain Scale may be better suited than the other two scales for use by nurse raters who only occasionally use pain rating scales or who have lower level nursing qualifications.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of jaw relaxation for burn dressing pain: randomized clinical trial.
Patients hospitalized for burn injuries experience severe pain, both immediately after the injury and during daily therapeutic procedures such as dressing changes. Relaxation is increasingly suggested as a pain control technique that can be used by nurses in daily practice. Yet the effects of relaxation on burn pain are not clear. ⋯ No significant difference was seen between mean pain intensity scores in the experimental and control groups after dressing (p = .676). Regarding the ineffectiveness of jaw relaxation for pain intensity of burn dressing, future studies are suggested to concentrate on longer durations of relaxation time and continuing the procedure in dressing room. Simultaneous study of the effect of this technique on residual, breakthrough, and procedural burn pain is also recommended.
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Interest in nonpharmacologic approaches for managing pain continues to grow. The aim of this study was to determine the types of pain-relevant programs offered by senior centers and whether the programs varied by clients' race/ethnicity status and center size. A telephone survey was conducted. ⋯ The programs/classes offered were infrequently advertised as a means of helping seniors manage pain and varied by clients' race/ethnicity status and center size. Programs that have potential utility for older adults with pain are commonly offered by senior centers. Future research should determine optimal strategies for engaging older adults in these programs in the senior center setting.
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Pain management in the intensive care unit is often inadequate. There is no tool available to assess nursing pain management practices. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a measuring tool to assess nursing pain management in the intensive care unit during standardized clinical simulation. ⋯ However, the tool could be improved with slight modifications. Nevertheless, it was useful in assessing intensive care nurses' pain management in a standardized clinical simulation. The NOTPaM is the first tool created for this purpose.