NR 501 Week 3 discussion post
Dr. Luoma and Class
My concept analysis is on pain and how pain has been described a 5th vital sign, and my choice
of a concept is supported by Katharine Kolcaba’s comfort theory. Pain is a subjective feeling,
whose proof of its presence and measurement of intensity rely entirely on self-reporting by the
patient. In general, management of pain is a hot topic because of the various presentations of
pain by different patient populations. In many clinical settings, nurses have a vital role in pain
assessment and titration of analgesia, including opioid doses. There is an overall perception of
nurses’ knowledge deficits in areas that are thought to contribute to under-treatment of pain.
Nurses' knowledge and attitudes about assessment and treatment of pain confirms that nurses
continue to undertreat pain. To solve the problem, Gropelli & Sharer (2013) suggest that
effective communication among all members of the health care team is important for effective
pain management. These authors also suggest that individualized plan of care needs to include
the older adult, significant others,all members of the nursing team including nursing assistants,
staff from other departments involved with care, and the physician. Communication needs to be
timely to meet patient needs. Interdisciplinary care teams focusing on pain management are
needed in practice to improve pain outcomes. The strongest implication from this study is the
need for education for all members of the team, including older adults and families. Pain
management is evolving, and continuous education is imperative to effective nurse performance.
Teaching methods need to take a variety of approaches, including formal programs, journal club
reviews, posters, and bulletin boards about various topics. Topics need to include pain
assessment and evaluation, acute and chronic pain management, treatment modalities
(pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic), and identification of perception and biasesNurses may
Dr. Luoma and Class
My concept analysis is on pain and how pain has been described a 5th vital sign, and my choice
of a concept is supported by Katharine Kolcaba’s comfort theory. Pain is a subjective feeling,
whose proof of its presence and measurement of intensity rely entirely on self-reporting by the
patient. In general, management of pain is a hot topic because of the various presentations of
pain by different patient populations. In many clinical settings, nurses have a vital role in pain
assessment and titration of analgesia, including opioid doses. There is an overall perception of
nurses’ knowledge deficits in areas that are thought to contribute to under-treatment of pain.
Nurses' knowledge and attitudes about assessment and treatment of pain confirms that nurses
continue to undertreat pain. To solve the problem, Gropelli & Sharer (2013) suggest that
effective communication among all members of the health care team is important for effective
pain management. These authors also suggest that individualized plan of care needs to include
the older adult, significant others,all members of the nursing team including nursing assistants,
staff from other departments involved with care, and the physician. Communication needs to be
timely to meet patient needs. Interdisciplinary care teams focusing on pain management are
needed in practice to improve pain outcomes. The strongest implication from this study is the
need for education for all members of the team, including older adults and families. Pain
management is evolving, and continuous education is imperative to effective nurse performance.
Teaching methods need to take a variety of approaches, including formal programs, journal club
reviews, posters, and bulletin boards about various topics. Topics need to include pain
assessment and evaluation, acute and chronic pain management, treatment modalities
(pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic), and identification of perception and biasesNurses may
