Nurses are directly affected by the opioid crisis on many levels. Addressing and managing pain is a cornerstone of nursing diagnosis and treatments. Nurses utilize many non-prescription methods of pain management such as repositioning, ice, heat, massage and guided imagery.
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Should nurses use alternative therapies?
“Nurses should be aware that alternative therapies are not free from risks and contraindications. Many of these therapies interact with conventional medications or treatments, and many others pose risks to patient health,” says Hawkins. “There are also restrictions on how these therapies should be used, even on otherwise healthy patients.
What are the recent trends in pain management in nursing?
The recent trends at international level focus on integrating pain and its management to improve nurses’ knowledge and attitudes in relation to pain management. Modern programs have been implemented in Australia, the USA, and Sweden, suggesting that there is considerable room for local improvement.[36,37]
How can we improve nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards pain?
Patients’ anxiety levels may increase, and it is likely to lead patients feeling disappointed with the nursing care received. The recent trends at international level focus on integrating pain and its management to improve nurses’ knowledge and attitudes in relation to pain management.
What is the nurse’s role in pain control?
The nurse may make a significant contribution to pain control by being able to offer a variety of nonpharmacological methods of pain relief that the patient may use in combination with the more traditional methods of analgesia or local anesthesia.
What responsibilities do nurses have related to herbal and alternative therapies?
Nurses have a unique opportunity to provide services that facilitate wholeness. They need to understand all aspects of CAM, including costs, patient knowledge, and drug interactions, if they are to promote holistic strategies for patients seeking to achieve a higher quality of life.
Why is pain management important in nursing?
Of particular importance to nursing care, unrelieved pain reduces patient mobility, resulting in complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, and pneumonia.
What alternative treatments could be effective in treating pain?
There are many forms of alternative medicine. They include acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, hypnosis, biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and tai-chi. Acupuncture involves stimulating certain acupoints on the body using fine needles or other methods.
What are the barriers to effective pain management in the aspects of?
The [Institute of Medicine] committee [has] identified several important barriers to adequate pain care in the United States. These include the magnitude of the problem, provider attitudes and training, insurance coverage, cultural attitudes of patients, geographic barriers, and regulatory barriers.
Is pain management a nursing priority?
Nurses must regularly assess pain and collaborate with both the patient and provider to ensure that timely access to adequate pain relief is a priority of their care.
What are the benefits of pain management?
These potential benefits include: better control of pain, which may improve how you feel and function physically; an increased ability to function in personal and professional relationships, as well as an improved sense of overall well-being; and or a decrease in the intensity of pain.
Why are alternative treatments important?
People seek out these alternatives because (1) they are dissatisfied in some way with conventional treatment; (2) they see alternative treatments as offering more personal autonomy and control over health care decisions; and (3) the alternatives are seen as more compatible with the patients' values, worldview, or ...
What is an example of alternative therapy?
Complementary and alternative medicine includes practices such as massage, acupuncture, tai chi, and drinking green tea.
What is a holistic approach to pain management?
Holistic pain management is an approach that takes into account the emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of the individual in addition to the person's physical state. Often, people equate holistic care with non-medical care.
What can a failure to provide an efficient pain management lead to?
Inadequate management of acute pain negatively impacts numerous aspects of patient health, and may increase the risk of developing chronic pain. Although opioids are the preferred treatment for most moderate to severe acute pain, their side effects can impede their use, and thus, their clinical effectiveness.
What are four barriers to managing pain?
Several barriers (system-related, staff-related, nurse-related, physician-related, and patient-related) have been identified that hinder the health care professionals from achieving optimal pain management.
What are some barriers to pain assessment and treatment in your setting?
Patient-related barriers to pain assessment and management include reluctance to report pain, fear of side effects, fatalism about the possibility of achieving pain control, fear of distracting physicians from treating cancer, and belief that pain is indicative of progressive disease [3, 40–46].
What is CAM therapy?
CAM includes therapies such as acupuncture, dietary supplements, reflexology, yoga, massage, chiropractic services, Reiki, and aromatherapy. Many CAM therapies focus on the concept of energy. The literature describes the use of CAM in individuals with neurological diseases such as dementias, multiple sclerosis, neuropathies, spinal cord injury, ...
Why do nurses need to understand CAM?
They need to understand all aspects of CAM, including costs, patient knowledge, and drug interactions, if they are to promote holistic strategies for patients seeking to achieve a higher quality of life.
What do nurses need to know about complementary medicine?
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: What Nurses Need to Know. Acupuncture, aromatherapy, supplements, and the like—more and more people across the nation are using these therapies. Because a number of these people will be your patients, it’s important for you, as a nurse, to know complementary and alternative medicine ...
Why do people use aromatherapy oils after surgery?
These, she says, are the most researched and studied. “For example, aromatherapy oils are now used post-op in some hospitals to reduce anxiety and pain after surgery so that patients will require less pain medications.
How do nurses train?
Nurses train via interactive distance learning— so they can still work—and most complete their programs within a year. While many institutions teach CAM, Christie advises nurses to use caution: “Only spend time and money on accredited schools.
How is meditation used in psychiatry?
Meditation has been used in psychiatry through progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and mindfulness meditation to augment the practices of cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectic behavioral therapy.
Is massage therapy good for addiction?
Massage therapy and acupuncture have been demonstrated to be beneficial in addiction treatment. Therapeutic touch has been demonstrated to help with pain in some instances by manipulating the energy fields that surround the body.”.
What are the disadvantages of alternative pain management?
Disadvantages of alternative pain management might be that the specific therapy of choice does not heal the area of injury or disease. The therapy must be done correctly, or the patient might experience side effects. For instance, if too much ozone is inhaled, it may lead to minor symptoms such as headache and nausea.
What are alternative pain management options?
Alternative pain management is beneficial for those who do not enjoy traditional methods of pain management, who dislike taking pills or who might find taking pills too costly. If you like a more natural method of treatment, a form of alternative pain management might be the right choice for you.#N#Alternative treatments can offer a holistic view, identifying ways the body can naturally heal itself. This form of treatment is typically non-surgical and minimally invasive. Some forms of therapy that are offered might include Ozone Therapy, Stem Cell Therapy and Prolotherapy. These types of treatments reduce pain using natural resources or work by stimulating the body’s own healing methods. Alternative pain management treatments work for people who suffer from body pain, joint pain, inflammation, infection, arthritis, carpal tunnel, chronic disease, and more. Treatments that are focused on natural, holistic forms of therapy introduce new ways to reduce symptoms by utilizing natural resources, such as oxygen in Ozone Therapy. Other forms, such as Stem Cell Therapy, find ways to utilize the resources already found in the body to heal an area of disease or injury.#N#Disadvantages of alternative pain management might be that the specific therapy of choice does not heal the area of injury or disease. The therapy must be done correctly, or the patient might experience side effects. For instance, if too much ozone is inhaled, it may lead to minor symptoms such as headache and nausea. If you’re interested in alternative pain management, give us a call and we can select the right treatment for you.
What are some alternative treatments?
This form of treatment is typically non-surgical and minimally invasive. Some forms of therapy that are offered might include Ozone Therapy, Stem Cell Therapy and Prolotherapy.
Why is pain often undertreated?
Research indicates pain is often undertreated due to many factors, including fear of addiction by patients and providers. 8 Some patients express concern that healthcare providers don't take reports of pain seriously. 6 Others are hesitant to report pain for fear of being labeled as difficult. 4. According to research, most patients with HIV in ...
What is the best treatment for HIV pain?
Nonpharmacologic pain management therapies. Acupuncture. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which includes acupuncture, is a reasonable substitute for medication in patients with HIV-related pain. Acupuncture is used to treat chronic and acute pain, and complex regional pain syndrome.
What is patient education?
Patient education is one of the primary roles for nurses, regardless of the healthcare setting, including medications and lifestyle modifications. A recent study suggests educating patients with HIV and their caregivers about the cause of the patients' pain may help reduce it. 27 In this study, patients participated in nurse-led pain education groups. During the group sessions, patients and their caregivers received information about the cause of pain associated with HIV infection, methods to assess pain, myths about pain, and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods for treating pain. Following these sessions, patients reported a decrease in pain and an increase in their quality of life. 27 Although further studies are needed to verify the impact of patient education on reports of pain, this intervention has the potential to be a safe and effective addition to pain management in this population.
What is acupuncture used for?
Acupuncture is used to treat chronic and acute pain, and complex regional pain syndrome. 16 WHO recognizes acupuncture as a primary method of pain relief with minimal adverse reactions. 17 Researchers have found that acupuncture improves patients' sense of well-being and functional status. 17.
Can acetaminophen be used for pain?
Due to their hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects, acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can't be safely used by all patients. 9 As a result, clinicians must look elsewhere for pharmaceutical solutions to pain management.
Can morphine interact with HIV?
Additionally, several opioid analgesics, including fentanyl, morphine, codeine, and hydrocodone, have the potential to interact with some antiretroviral medications used to treat HIV. 10 These issues complicate the management of pain in this population. Providers are recommended to follow the World Health Organization ...