![]() ![]() The development of practice guidelines and standards reflects the national trend in health care to assess quality of care in high-incidence patients by moni-toring selected patient outcomes, as well as the assessment and management of pain. Recognition of the widespread inadequacy of pain management has prompted efforts to correct the problems by a wide variety of organizations, including the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the American Pain Soci-ety, and the Oncology Nursing Society. Additionally, clinicians' personal belief systems, attitudes, and fears can directly influence the manner in which they and their patients respond to the varied dimensions ofpain management. Studies have found that two of the chief barriers for health care professionals are poor pain assessment and lack of knowledge about pain ( 15, 16). ![]() Yet reports documenting the inability of health care professionals to use this information continue to appear in the literature. Suboptimal pain management is not the result of lack of scientific information, considering the explosion of research on pain assessment and treatment. It has been estimated that 9% of the US adult population suffers from moderate to severe chronic nonmalignant pain ( 14).ĭespite the existence of evidence-based guidelines, acute pain is not adequately addressed by health care professionals ( 15). The Mayday Fund survey noted that pain is a part of life for many Americans, with 46% of respondents reporting pain at some time in their lives ( 13). Pain in persons with cancer also remains a significant problem, with studies suggesting that as many as 30% to 40% of cancer patients at diagnosis and 70% to 80% of cancer patients undergoing therapy or in the end stages of life have unrelieved pain ( 7– 12). In the USA, 23.3 million surgical procedures are performed each year, and most, if not all, result in some form of pain ( 3– 6). Chronic pain can also accompany an injury that has not resolved over time, such as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, low back pain, or phantom limb pain. It accompanies disease processes such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and diabetes. Chronic pain, in contrast, worsens and intensifies over time and persists for months, years, or a lifetime. Acute pain serves as a warning that something is wrong. Acute pain usually lasts hours, days, or weeks and is associated with tissue damage, inflammation, a surgical procedure, or a brief disease process. Pain is commonly categorized along a continuum of duration. Clinically, pain is whatever the person says he or she is experiencing whenever he or she says it occurs ( 2). 321–323 as well.Īccording to the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage ( 1). ![]() The quiz, evaluation form, and certification appear on pp. This page also provides important information on method of physician participation, estimated time to complete the educational activity, medium used for instruction, date of release, and expiration. She is co–principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health grant on palliative care and is on the speakers bureaus of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, Anestra Corporation, and Roxane Laboratories.īefore beginning this activity, please read the instructions for CME on p. Fink has held positions as oncology and pain clinical nurse specialist. Call anytime - even when the clinic is not open - and a staff person will process the refill during the next business day.Regina Fink, RN, PhD, AOCN, is a research nurse scientist at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. Call (563) 252-5564 and leave a message with your medication refill information. Requesting prescription refills is easy with Cornerstone Family Practice’s medication refill line. Cornerstone Family Practice is approved to provide services under the Veterans Choice Program. InsuranceĬornerstone Family Practice accepts most area commercial insurances including Medical Associates Health Plans, Medicare and all Iowa Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Learn more about our patient-centered, team-based approach to quality care and what it means for you. It means you can be confident of our commitment to a higher quality of patient care, lower costs and improved patient satisfaction. Our recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home is not just an honor for us. Like our entire family of services at Guttenberg Municipal Hospital & Clinics, Cornerstone Family Practice strives to provide convenient, patient-focused care for your entire family. More Information about Cornerstone Family Practice ![]()
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