Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Patient safety related to medication infusion devices has received considerable attention recently. Critical adverse patient outcomes have resulted from misprogrammed delivery devices, inherent flaws in device design, and human error. A key strategy to improving patient safety is the development of an interdisciplinary team in product selection and the inclusion of registered nurses in the process. ⋯ No formal product selection guidelines exist which consider patient safety. This article outlines the process undertaken at University Health Network in the selection of its most recent patient-controlled analgesia device. Various available products were excluded from the selection process based on the interdisciplinary review.
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The current trend of treating chronic nonmalignant pain with opioid therapy means that pain management nurses are increasingly involved in the care of patients who are prescribed and using potent opioid analgesics on a daily basis. Although demonstrated to be quite effective in certain patients, sanctioned access to these medications brings with it risks for abuse, addiction, and diversion. ⋯ It is emphasized that the results of urine toxicology analysis should never be used in isolation to identify abuse, addiction, or diversion, and that patterns of medication and other drug use should always be evaluated with respect to evidence of improved functionality. Nurses involved in the care of patients with chronic pain are encouraged to consider urine toxicology analysis as an integral component in care plan for those on chronic opioid therapy, and to knowledgeably implement and interpret this powerful tool in the practice of pain care.
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Severe pain experiences for children at home after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T & A) have been described for more than a decade. Children and their parents are responsible for pain and symptom management during the postoperative home recovery. The purpose of this research was to more fully explore the pain experience and home management practices from the child's perspective. ⋯ Across the 3 postoperative days studied, pain remained severe and interventions offered minimal relief. Neither older children (chi(2) = 1.357, n = 13, df = 2, p = .259) nor younger children (chi(2) = 1.357, n = 12, df = 2, p = .507) reported significant differences in their mean pain intensity across the first 3 postoperative days. Results supported concerns for inadequate home pain management practices in the pediatric T & A population.
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Patients often suffer from inadequate treatment of postoperative pain. The purpose of this study was to survey the factors affecting patient satisfaction with postoperative pain management. A questionnaire with 41 items was given on the third postoperative day to 102 patients undergoing major orthopedic or vascular surgery. ⋯ Eighty percent of the patients were satisfied with pain management, and their satisfaction correlated significantly with received preoperative information (p < .01) and preoperative well-being (p < .01). There is discrepancy between the amount of experienced pain and values of the frequent VAS recordings, which does not seem to be due to the nurses' attitudes toward pain. Preoperative interview is important tool to receive and give information concerning postoperative pain management.
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Opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia are conditions that negatively affect pain management. Tolerance is defined as a state of adaptation in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a decrease of the drug's effects over time. Opioid-induced hyperalgesia occurs when prolonged administration of opioids results in a paradoxic increase in atypical pain that appears to be unrelated to the original nociceptive stimulus. ⋯ Pain facilitatory mechanisms in the central nervous system are known to contribute to opioid-induced hyperalgesia. Recent research indicates that there may be overlap in the two conditions. This article reviews known and hypothesized pathophysiologic mechanisms surrounding these phenomena and the clinical implications for pain management nurses.