How to develop effective pain management policies.
By building effective pain management strategies into the treatment plans they develop, case managers can eliminate needless suffering and possible delays in healing among some patients, experts say. To ensure a thorough pain evaluation, experts recommend that case managers include the following examination elements: a chronological history of the pain; activities that make the pain better or worse; ability to perform activities of daily living; possible underlying disease processes; therapies tried in the past for pain relief; and a complete list of medications taken for pain and other conditions. Possible elements to include in your own pain management policies include: systematic and ongoing assessment of pain symptoms; systematic use of appropriate medications; combining pain medications with non-drug therapies; measuring pain management outcomes; and ongoing quality improvement assessments.
D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019090:Case Management / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D014481:United States
D000700:Analgesics