Cancer Pain Management Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer patients and often has a negative impact on their ability to perform the tasks of daily living and their overall quality of life. All people have experienced pain at some point in their lives, especially while in the hospital. During some point in a nurse’s career, the nurse will be responsible for managing a patient with pain. Even if a nurse chooses to not work in an oncology unit, almost every nurse will, at some time in his or her clinical experience, care for a patient with cancer. Therefore, nurses’ approach to cancer pain management are important in clinical settings and requires specialized nursing knowledge
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Although the researchers noted the study had some limitations, they believe the research study was successfully implemented for several reasons. Modifications to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) enhanced the menu-driven list with sub-menus for pain intensity, location, quality, provoking and relieving factors, and time aspects of pain; the formalized pain assessment tool allowed nurses to more accurately and conveniently chart patient information. From the baseline audit, the research results indicate “an 83% increase in the documentation, assessment and appropriate management of opioid side effects” (Choi et al., 2014). The symptoms associated with the side effects of opioids such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, respiratory difficulties, constipation, and urinary retention of opioids can discourage patients from taking opioids and result in inadequate pain control; therefore, it is essential for the nurse to assess, monitor , and use appropriate interventions to prevent and /or manage the patient’s opioid side effects …show more content…
In the clinical setting, nurses can facilitate effective approaches to managing the side effects of opioids by obtaining comprehensive patient histories of current and past opioid use, adverse effects, dose changes, and by educating and supporting patients and caregivers. It is essential for the nurse to utilize the EMR to accurately document patient and family education, pain assessment, managed side effects, etc. The information obtained from these research studies have made me more aware of the importance of obtaining specific information regarding the patient’s past opioid use, side effects, and to explore if barriers exist that may have an effect the patient’s perception of cancer pain
Although the researchers noted the study had some limitations, they believe the research study was successfully implemented for several reasons. Modifications to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) enhanced the menu-driven list with sub-menus for pain intensity, location, quality, provoking and relieving factors, and time aspects of pain; the formalized pain assessment tool allowed nurses to more accurately and conveniently chart patient information. From the baseline audit, the research results indicate “an 83% increase in the documentation, assessment and appropriate management of opioid side effects” (Choi et al., 2014). The symptoms associated with the side effects of opioids such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, respiratory difficulties, constipation, and urinary retention of opioids can discourage patients from taking opioids and result in inadequate pain control; therefore, it is essential for the nurse to assess, monitor , and use appropriate interventions to prevent and /or manage the patient’s opioid side effects …show more content…
In the clinical setting, nurses can facilitate effective approaches to managing the side effects of opioids by obtaining comprehensive patient histories of current and past opioid use, adverse effects, dose changes, and by educating and supporting patients and caregivers. It is essential for the nurse to utilize the EMR to accurately document patient and family education, pain assessment, managed side effects, etc. The information obtained from these research studies have made me more aware of the importance of obtaining specific information regarding the patient’s past opioid use, side effects, and to explore if barriers exist that may have an effect the patient’s perception of cancer pain