Fundamentals of Nursing: Pain Management

• Study notes on pain management from "Fundamentals of Nursing" (Potter & Perry, 11th Edition)

Acute vs. Chronic Pain

• Acute pain is sudden and resolves with healing.
• Chronic pain persists for more than 6 months and may not have a clear cause.
• Acute pain often occurs due to injury or surgery.

Pain Assessment

• The most important question to assess a patient's pain is: "How would you rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10?"
• Using a pain scale allows for an objective assessment of the patient's pain level.

Managing Opioid-Induced Drowsiness

• If a patient becomes drowsy and difficult to arouse after receiving an opioid, administer naloxone (Narcan) as prescribed.
• Opioid-induced respiratory depression requires immediate reversal with naloxone to restore normal breathing.

Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA)

• The primary advantage of PCA is that the patient experiences consistent pain relief.
• PCA pumps allow patients to self-administer small doses of medication, preventing pain fluctuations.

Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Chronic Back Pain

• Guided imagery and relaxation are the most effective nonpharmacologic interventions for pain relief in a patient with chronic back pain.
• Chronic pain benefits from nonpharmacologic interventions like relaxation, guided imagery, and cognitive therapies.

Opioid Therapy Patient Education

• A statement by a patient receiving opioid therapy that requires further teaching is: "I will stop taking the medication as soon as my pain is gone."
• Opioids should be tapered gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms; sudden discontinuation is not recommended.

Cold Therapy

• When using cold therapy to treat pain, apply the ice pack for no longer than 20 minutes at a time to prevent tissue damage.
• Cold therapy should be applied for 15-20 minutes at a time.

Postoperative Pain in Patients with Opioid Abuse History

• For a patient with a history of opioid abuse experiencing severe postoperative pain, the best approach is to use multimodal pain management techniques.
• Multimodal pain management includes combining non-opioid and opioid options for better pain relief with fewer side effects.

Factors Increasing Pain Perception

• Anxiety and stress can intensify the perception of pain by increasing muscle tension and focus on pain.

Assessing Pain in Nonverbal Patients

• Facial grimacing and restlessness are the most reliable signs for indicating pain in a nonverbal patient.
• Nonverbal pain cues include grimacing, moaning, and restlessness.
• Vital signs may increase initially but are not reliable indicators over time.