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Placebo effect
PAIN ASSESSMENT
Obtain a Pain History
Q- quality
R region/radiation
S severity
T - timing
O onset
L location
D duration
C characteristic
A aggravating factors
R radiation
T treatment
Sample (PQRST)
With continuous, drilling, bilateral knee
pain that occurs upon ambulation; rated as
8/10 in the numeric pain rating scale, with
0 as no pain and 10 as excruciating pain.
Sample (OLDCART)
With continuous, penetrating, right flank pain
that occurred 1 hour prior to admission while
client was consuming fried dried fish; rated as
9/10 in the numeric pain rating scale with 0 as
no pain and 10 as excruciating pain in the pain
rating scale; radiating on the left shoulder;
aggravated with ambulation and consumption of
salty foods such as dried fish and corned beef
and alleviated with rest, deep breathing
exercises, and guided imagery.
Daily Pain Diary
For clients who experience chronic pain
May help the client and nurse identify pain
patterns and factors that exacerbate or mediate
pain
The record can include: time or onset of pain,
activity before pain, pain-related positions or
behaviors, pain intensity level, use of
analgesics or other relief measures, duration
of pain, time spent in relief activities.
Visual Analogue Scales
Useful in assessing the intensity of pain
Includes a horizontal 10cm line, with
anchors indicating the extremes of pain
The client is asked to place a mark
indicating where the current pain lies on
the line
Left: none or no pain
Right: severe or worst possible pain
Faces Pain Scale
This instrument has six faces depicting
expressions that range from contented to
obvious distress
Combining nonpharmacologic
interventions with medications may be the
most effective way to relieve pain
Cutaneous stimulation and
massage
The gate control theory of pain proposes
that stimulation of fibers that transmit
nonpainful sensations can block or
decrease the transmission of pain
impulses
Mechanism is unclear
Remember: NSAIDS!!!
Opioids
The goal of administering this medication
is to relieve pain and improve quality of life
Convenient, inexpensive
Painful