Pain assessment in accident and emergency.
Every day patients arrive at Accident and Emergency (A & E) departments in pain due to a multitude of causes. As nurses working in this area, we routinely assess patients both objectively and subjectively, and this includes the intensity and descriptions of their pain and their responses to it. Anxiety and pain are closely linked and it has been shown that the use of pain assessment tools can promote nurse-patient communication, thus reducing anxiety levels, improving pain control and assisting in nursing care. This article explores the use of objective assessment of pain within the A & E setting and discusses the issues surrounding pain assessment as a whole.
Cooper
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D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010147:Pain Measurement