presented by Cathleen Armato, RN, CHC, CHPC
Financial: Cathleen Armato receives compensation from MedBridge for this course. There is no financial interest beyond the production of this course.
Non-Financial: Cathleen Armato has no competing non-financial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Satisfactory completion requirements: All disciplines must complete learning assessments to be awarded credit, no minimum score required unless otherwise specified within the course.
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Thorough pain assessments are a critical component of adequate pain management. Clinicians will learn how to conduct a verbal, physical, and functional pain assessment, barriers to pain management, population groups at risk of under-treatment, harmful effects of unrelieved pain, and goals of pain management.
Cathleen Armato, RN, CHC, CHPC
Cat Armato is an experienced executive with 18 years in the home care and hospice industry. She has served in various roles during that time, including VP of operations and chief compliance officer for a nationwide provider. In 2012, Cat became a consultant. She has assisted multiple organizations with their compliance and quality efforts, from…
Read full bio1. Barriers to Effective Pain Management
This chapter discusses the definition of pain and barriers to effective pain management. Patient/family perceptions and healthcare providers and systems can all contribute to inadequate pain management. Additionally, certain populations are at increased risk of under-treatment of pain. The psychological and physiological responses to under-treatment will be discussed.
2. Pain Types
This chapter discusses neuropathic, somatic, and visceral pain. Each pain type will be examined to assist the clinician in determining the etiology of the patient’s pain. Knowing the etiology contributes to effective pain management as different types of pain are managed differently.
3. The Verbal Pain Assessment
Although many clinicians are consistent in asking the patient for their current pain level, this is only one small portion of a complete pain assessment. This chapter reviews seven components of a thorough verbal pain assessment and the rationale for gathering the information. With the correct information, the clinician will be able to assist the patient and advocate for a pain management protocol to meet patient goals.
4. Video Demonstration of the Verbal Pain Assessment
This chapter demonstrates an effective verbal pain assessment. This demonstration follows the guidance outlined in the previous chapter. This will give the clinician an example of how to best gather complete information.
5. The Physical and Functional Pain Assessment
The physical and functional portion of a thorough pain assessment is the hands-on component. This chapter will provide guidance as well as tips to prevent misinterpretations of findings.
6. Putting It All Together
Based on the information obtained during the assessment, the clinician will communicate with the physician, providing relevant and concise information. Other services and assistive devices will be reviewed. Finally, the clinician will work with the patient to develop a care plan with patient-specific goals. This chapter reviews each of these steps and how they contribute to an effective pain management protocol.
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