Neuropathic Pain Analysis Paper
Pain reported by a patient is known as subjective data. Based on the person's location of pain and type of pain can greatly affect the patients performance of daily activities, sleep patterns, and engaging in social activities (Treas, Wilkinson, 2014). In this scenario the 60-year-old African-American female with metastatic ovarian cancer is experiencing chronic pain. This pain would be defined as the patient experiencing visceral pain. Visceral pain activates deep internal pain receptors that are found in the abdomen (Treas, Wilkinson, 2014). The cause of cancerous pain is known as neuropathic pain. This can be complex and cause chronic pain due to the result of nerve injury (Treas, Wilkinson, 2014). Neuropathic pain can be the result of damage
to the central nervous system, tissue, or the peripheral nervous system (Cheever, Hinkle, 2014). For this patient a proper nursing diagnosis would be chronic pain related to ovarian cancer as evidenced by patient reporting a 3 to 7 on the numeric pain scale of 0 to 10. Although the patients vital signs have been stable, as a nurse it is important to remember when assessing the patient that pain is the fifth vital sign. When re-assessing the patients pain it is important to ask her to describe her pain and the intensity of the pain. This can aid in helping the patients health care providers in the best course of treatment when prescribing and administering analgesia. It is important for the RN to keep his or her own biases about pain to themselves because pain is subjective, meaning pain is what the patient states she is feeling. Every individual experience pain differently and have different pain tolerances. Nursing interventions that can be provided by the RN are to educate the patient on the numeric pain scale when reporting her pain and to educate her on new analgesia medications/ treatments that are prescribed by the patients physician. By educating the patient she will have a better understanding of her current treatment and will be able to rate her pain appropriately. The RN will also assess the patients pain by the location, and intensity and what the patients activities were at the time of the pain occurring (Ackley, Ladwig, 2011). The RN's reasoning of assessing the patient's pain will give the nurse a better understanding of the pain and will help the RN to administer the proper medications and pain management for the patient. The RN will offer non-pharmacologic methods to help control pain such as " group therapy, distraction, relaxation techniques, and encourage visits from her family and her pastor (Ackley, Ladwig, 2011). Family and religion is an obvious importance for this patient and by increasing social interaction's may help the patient feel more at ease. By teaching the patient distraction and relaxation techniques may help the patient take better control over her pain while in the hospital and at home. It is important for the RN to communicate and document his or her findings when assessing the patients pain to further evaluate if the patient's pain is being properly managed.
Ackley, B. J., & Ladwig, G. B. (2011). Mosby's Guide to Nursing Diagnosis (Third ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.
Cheever, K. H., & Hinkle, J., L. (2014). Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing. (13th Edition). Philadelphia:
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Treas, L. S., & Wilkinson, J. M. (2014). Basic Nursing Concepts. Skills & Reasoning. F.A Davis, Philadelphia.
to the central nervous system, tissue, or the peripheral nervous system (Cheever, Hinkle, 2014). For this patient a proper nursing diagnosis would be chronic pain related to ovarian cancer as evidenced by patient reporting a 3 to 7 on the numeric pain scale of 0 to 10. Although the patients vital signs have been stable, as a nurse it is important to remember when assessing the patient that pain is the fifth vital sign. When re-assessing the patients pain it is important to ask her to describe her pain and the intensity of the pain. This can aid in helping the patients health care providers in the best course of treatment when prescribing and administering analgesia. It is important for the RN to keep his or her own biases about pain to themselves because pain is subjective, meaning pain is what the patient states she is feeling. Every individual experience pain differently and have different pain tolerances. Nursing interventions that can be provided by the RN are to educate the patient on the numeric pain scale when reporting her pain and to educate her on new analgesia medications/ treatments that are prescribed by the patients physician. By educating the patient she will have a better understanding of her current treatment and will be able to rate her pain appropriately. The RN will also assess the patients pain by the location, and intensity and what the patients activities were at the time of the pain occurring (Ackley, Ladwig, 2011). The RN's reasoning of assessing the patient's pain will give the nurse a better understanding of the pain and will help the RN to administer the proper medications and pain management for the patient. The RN will offer non-pharmacologic methods to help control pain such as " group therapy, distraction, relaxation techniques, and encourage visits from her family and her pastor (Ackley, Ladwig, 2011). Family and religion is an obvious importance for this patient and by increasing social interaction's may help the patient feel more at ease. By teaching the patient distraction and relaxation techniques may help the patient take better control over her pain while in the hospital and at home. It is important for the RN to communicate and document his or her findings when assessing the patients pain to further evaluate if the patient's pain is being properly managed.
Ackley, B. J., & Ladwig, G. B. (2011). Mosby's Guide to Nursing Diagnosis (Third ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.
Cheever, K. H., & Hinkle, J., L. (2014). Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing. (13th Edition). Philadelphia:
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Treas, L. S., & Wilkinson, J. M. (2014). Basic Nursing Concepts. Skills & Reasoning. F.A Davis, Philadelphia.