title: Describing pain management documentation.
abstract: Managing postsurgical pain continues to be one of the nation's top clinical care priorities and concerns. Despite widely publicized national care guidelines, effective pain management for all patients is not a reality. This study explored how nurses in a community hospital documented the process of pain management for a group of postsurgical patients. The results have implications for all adult health nurses.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern Mississippi, Long Beach, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Coyne
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hieser
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoover
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009737:Nursing Records; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing*; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics