Effective pain management is a core element of palliative care practice. Uncontrolled pain can cause significant distress and disability.
Overview
Topic 4: Assessment and management of pain will help you develop the knowledge and skills needed to assess and manage pain experienced by people with a life-limiting condition.
Aims & Objectives
After completing this topic, you should be able to:
- apply assessment and management principles when caring for people with life-limiting conditions experiencing pain.
Sessions
describe the impact of pain on people with life-limiting conditions
outline barriers to effective management of pain.
The experience of pain at end of life
– Common pain experiences
– Multidimensional experience of pain
– Symptom clusters
Barriers to effective management of pain
– Patient and family concerns
– Health professional concerns
Case study – Tom’s full story
dentify evidence based pain assessment strategies
describe indications for common pharmacological pain management approaches
describe indications for intima sub-cutaneous lines for pain relief, anti-nausea and steroid injections
describe indications and contraindications for use of syringe drivers in administration of pain medication
outline common side effects of pharmacological pain management and strategies to prevent and manage.
Pain assessment strategies
Principles of pain management
The World Health Organisation Pain Ladder
Pharmacological therapies
– Choosing the right medication and route
– Subcutaneous administration of analgesia,
– anti-nausea agents and steroids
– side effects of pain management
Syringe driver management
describe indications for common non-pharmaceutical and complementary care in the management of pain.
Indications for complementary and alternative therapies
demonstrate evidence based assessment and management of pain.
Simulation scenario – Geoff Holder