Articles: analgesics.
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From research reports published over the last 20 years, it appears that moderate to severe uncontrolled pain may be the norm for hospitalized patients despite recent advances in the management of pain. Research on the extent of under-management of pain and the factors associated with it is examined and summarized in this paper. ⋯ A clinical decision making model is also reviewed and it is suggested that this model could be applied to pain management problems. Further, it is suggested that this model may be very useful in developing educational interventions to improve health practitioners' clinical skills in pain management.
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Gynecologic oncology · Jul 1990
Simplified postoperative patient-controlled analgesia on a gynecologic oncology service.
Twenty-nine women who underwent various abdominal operations for gynecologic malignancies self-administered postoperative analgesia by means of disposable Travenol Infusors with Patient Control Modules. Administration of morphine sulfate at a rate of 1 mg per injection and a maximum of 10 mg per hour via patient-controlled analgesia was judged satisfactory by all 29 patients. ⋯ No respiratory depression occurred and excessive sedation was reported by only 2 patients after the first 24 hr postoperatively. If further surgeries were required, more than 90% of these patients would prefer patient-controlled analgesia to intramuscular injections.
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The surgical experience is often characterized by fear, stress, and pain. Whenever an individual has to confront a painful or stressful event such as surgery, the individual's opportunity to control some aspect of the situation may actually influence the degree of pain experienced. ⋯ Regression analyses controlling for age and type of opioid revealed that the psychological measures were important predictors of pain and PCA use. Patients with higher anxiety levels and less social support had higher postoperative pain and made more frequent PCA demands.