Pain Screening
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TAKE THE NEXT STEP(S)
"…Nothing is less necessary than pain," wrote Joseph De Maistre, a French diplomat and philosopher, in 1821. That observation is even truer today, when physicians and patients alike have access to a growing wealth of information about pain management and a rapidly expanding array of pharmacological painkillers.
In nursing homes, effective pain management creates a win-win-win scenario for residents, staff, and administrators. For residents, the immediate benefits are as compelling as they are obvious: freedom from pain and improved quality of life. For their part, nursing staff report that problem behaviors among some residents subside when pain is controlled. Pain relief may also improve a resident's functional ability, thereby reducing the daily care burden on staff. And for administrators, there's ample evidence, say experts, that "treating pain saves money in the long run (1)."
While our work at the Borun Center has focused on pain screening, other experts have delineated the next steps in pain management. The following summary of some of their work is intended to point you in the right direction for taking these steps.
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