Challenges experienced in managing pain essay

The major challenge of such methods of managing pain as psychotherapy and hypnosis is the fact that in order to use such therapy, the healthcare professional should possess special knowledge and skills. This challenge can be addressed by integrating evidence-based approaches and psychotherapeutic practices into nursing training programs (Parsons & Preece, 2010).

With regard to such methods as relaxation and distraction, the major challenge is the fact that the patients should be well-informed about the process of pain treatment, and should be able to use these pain management approaches themselves. This challenge can be addressed by explaining the mechanisms of pain control, the essence of the methods and key techniques to the patients.

There also exist challenges which relate to all pain management approaches. The sensitivity to pain is individual, and different patients might respond differently to common methods of managing pain. In order to address this challenge, nurses should apply multi-component pain management programs. Another challenge is the possible extinction of positive behaviours due to the lack of reinforcement (Laccetti & Kazanowski, 2008); this challenge can be addressed by providing a follow-up after the set of therapeutic sessions aimed at managing pain. Chronic pain might fluctuate and the responses to treatment might differ because of different pain cycles (Laccetti & Kazanowski, 2008); in such cases, nurses should carefully trace the patient’s dynamics and choose the appropriate methods of pain management in accordance with the changes in chronic pain intensity and character.

Conclusion

Management of pain is one of the important nursing skills. Pain changes the quality of patient’s life and leads to various negative consequences, so nurses should be able to manage pain timely and adequately. Earlier pain management in nursing was viewed from a predominantly medical perspective, but recent evidence shows that there are numerous psychological factors influencing the process of pain perception. There are core psychological approaches for managing pain such as hypnosis, cognitive-behavioural therapy, relaxation, distraction, meditation, music etc. These approaches are often combined and nurses use multi-component programs for pain management. It is crucial for nurses to be aware of psychological approaches of managing pain and to incorporate them into the integral process of nursing care.