Intrathecal Pain Therapy Essay

Introduction: According to the North Dakota Cancer Coalition (2011), one out of two men and one out of three women will develop cancer in their lifetimes. Research estimates at least 10% of cancer patients do not receive effective relief of their cancer pain identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) three-step ladder guidelines, and an upwards to 30% of patients receive poor pain control, especially in their last year of life (Raphael et al., 2010). For patients with refractory cancer pain, intrathecal pain therapy is an established and superior alternative to conventional opioid use (Brogan, 2006). Interventional pain treatments, such as intrathecal pain pumps, offer rapid and effective analgesia with less toxicity than oral or parenteral agents, permit dose reductions of systemic analgesics, serve as an alternative to refractory pain, and enhance performance …show more content…
Physiological antecedents include age, precipitating illness(es), or dysfunction with severity and stage. Additional physiological antecedents can be findings ascribed to the influencing the symptom experience may include the individual’s emotional state, affective reaction to the illness, degree of perceived uncertainty, level of perceived self-efficacy, and the meaning assigned to the symptom by the individual. Social aspects represent dynamics of the individual’s social and physical environment, including support systems, marital status, cultural background, occupation, family and work burdens, and existing resources (Peterson & Bredow, 2013). The TOUS theory portrays how symptoms may affect every facet of an individual’s functioning and how effective management of these symptoms can be anticipated to optimize an individual’s physical, psychological, and social