title: Nontraumatic abdominal pain.
abstract: Nontraumatic abdominal pain is a common complaint of adult patients in acute care settings. The causes of abdominal pain are numerous and can be benign or life threatening. The advanced practice nurse must be able to differentiate abdominal pain from acute and nonacute sources so that rapid and effective treatment can be implemented.
authors.affiliation: Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40536-0232, USA.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kelso
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kugelmas
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000451:nursing; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003422:Critical Care; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment