Being in pain is one main reason why an older person (those aged 65 years and over) will initially present to hospital (Goldberg & McGee 2011).
nursing
Description
Introduction
Being in pain is one main reason why
an older person (those aged 65 years and over) will initially present to
hospital (Goldberg & McGee 2011).
Older people often have multiple pain aetiologies requiring comprehensive
assessment (Herr 2011). Misconceptions
about pain management in older people are based on poor knowledge, lack of
understanding and myths about old age (Czarnecki
et al. 2011). Evidence suggests the characteristics of the health care
provider can also influence pain care provision within the acute care setting (Bartley et al. 2015). Pain is and always
remains a deeply personalised and subjective experience and the
multidimensional nature of pain often requires an interprofessional approach to
assessment and management (International
Association for the Study of Pain. 2019). The accepted gold standard for
pain assessment was developed over 46 years ago by McCaffery (1968) who provided the seminal statement:
Pain is what the
person says it is and exists whenever he or she says it does.
All professionals need to serve as
advocates for the person in pain and ensure that pain treatment is based on
ethical principles and evidence-based standards and guidelines (Herr et al. 2011) . Nurses play a critical
role in effective pain management (Kerner et al.
2013) because of their frequent contact with patients in a variety of
settings (Slatyer, Williams & Michael 2015).
Research Question:
What are the
barriers and facilitators to nurses’ practice when assessing and managing pain
for the older hospitalised person?
Significance:
The research question is relevant
for clinical practice. Comprehensive and systematic assessments for the
development of a care plan is an integral part of nursing (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. 2016).
Knowledge on barriers and facilitators for effective pain management will serve
as a ‘road map’ that facilitates the translation of research evidence to
current practice in pain care provision for older people. Appropriate knowledge
translation strategies then can be selected to ensure consistent and quality
pain provision to older people.
