Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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The opioid epidemic continues to be a serious public health crisis in the United States. One way to address this issue is to effectively educate future healthcare providers, especially nurses, who play a key role in managing pain and improving opioid-related outcomes. ⋯ Although opioid knowledge and confidence scores were higher for 4th year compared with 1st year nursing students, there is room for continued improvement. Curricula and clinical experiences must thoughtfully integrate opioid and pain management content longitudinally across all years of a nursing program to optimize care for both patients in pain and those coping with substance use disorders.
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The purpose of the pilot study was to determine if an educational program on opioid safety and disposal during a preoperative joint replacement class would increase the frequency of disposal of unused opioids with a disposal pouch at the end of the episode of care in patients undergoing joint replacement. A secondary aim was to quantify the milligrams of morphine equivalents prescribed, used, disposed, and remaining in joint replacement patients. ⋯ Provision of a disposal pouch in combination with a live educational program on opioid safety and disposal increased the rate of disposal of unused opioids in a postoperative population.
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Observational Study
Observational, Retrospective Evaluation of a New Nurse-Initiated Emergency Department Pain Management Protocol.
Triage nurses are important in pain management and in early relief of pain among patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ We observed an increase in analgesic administration after the implementation of a new nurse-initiated pain treatment protocol, especially an increase in oral opioid analgesics, for patients with moderate to severe pain.
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The use and impact of guided imagery in the acute care setting is limited. ⋯ The use of guided imagery as an adjunctive intervention for pain control may engage and empower the patient in self-care activities, which may have an impact on how care is perceived. Guided imagery is a low-cost, easily implemented approach that can be incorporated into patient care to reduce anxiety and, potentially, opioid analgesia use.
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The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the application of a heating pad on the sacral region on pain and anxiety during a transrectal prostate biopsy. ⋯ Applying a heating pad to the sacral region during a transrectal prostate biopsy is an effective non-pharmacologic method to increase patient comfort and reduce pain and anxiety.