McCabe Candy
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath and University of the West of England, Bristol, England.
Nurs Stand. 2017 Mar 15;31(29):42-46. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10736.
Chronic pain is experienced by between one third and one half of the UK population. Nurses should ensure that patients' pain is assessed and managed when they present to hospital, including pre-existing chronic pain and acute pain as a result of trauma or surgical interventions. Acute pain that is inadequately managed may result in chronic pain, impeding the patient's return to normal function and daily activities. Depression and increasing age affect the likelihood of patients experiencing chronic pain. Nurses should be familiar with the pain assessment tools available for use with older people and be aware of the potential issues of polypharmacy and altered sensitivity to medication in older people. Nurses can manage patients' pre-existing chronic pain, or likely post-operative pain, by working collaboratively with patients, their carers or families where appropriate, and the multidisciplinary team. For patients undergoing surgery, this cooperation should begin preoperatively and continue into the post-operative period.
英国三分之一至二分之一的人口经历过慢性疼痛。护士应确保在患者入院时对其疼痛进行评估和管理，包括既往存在的慢性疼痛以及因创伤或手术干预导致的急性疼痛。未得到充分管理的急性疼痛可能会导致慢性疼痛，阻碍患者恢复正常功能和日常活动。抑郁和年龄增长会影响患者经历慢性疼痛的可能性。护士应熟悉可用于老年人的疼痛评估工具，并意识到老年人多重用药的潜在问题以及对药物敏感性的改变。护士可以通过在适当情况下与患者、其护理人员或家属以及多学科团队合作，来管理患者既往存在的慢性疼痛或可能的术后疼痛。对于接受手术的患者，这种合作应在术前开始并持续到术后阶段。
