Peer Responses:
- Length: A minimum of 180 words per post, not including references
- Citations: At least two high-level scholarly reference in APA per post from within the last 5 years
This capstone research is based on improving health outcomes of the community. There is a large health gap in pain control and failing to reassess pain interventions can have detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of patients. Uncontrolled pain is one of the most common complaints during reviewing patient reviews of their emergency visits and hospital stays. Identifying barriers that prevent nurses from reassessing analgesic interventions to improve pain reassessment rates can help to bridge the gap in this unsatisfactory area. Knowing the barriers that nurses encounter can help to develop an educational plan that is focused on overcoming these perceived barriers and will likely lead to better compliance if it is designed with the nursing concerns in mind. Understanding the barriers can help reduce resistance and improve quality of nursing care (Cheraghi et al., 2023).
Pain is considered by many the 5th vital sign and can be either or both acute or chronic. Uncontrolled pain negatively affects the patient’s welfare and the hospital performance. Pain assessment tools are generally evidence-based and often include, at a minimum, an evaluation of pain intensity, location, quality, and associated symptoms and is the foundation for an individualized and effective pain management plan (The Joint Commission, 2024). Properly using this reassessment tool can help to better manage patients’ pain and improve wellbeing. Pain is associated with significant disability, reduced mobility, falls, anxiety, depression, and social isolation (Akbar et al., 2019). Overcoming barriers to pain reassessment can help to better asses and control pain in patients in the acute care setting. The most commonly reported barrier is insufficient education and training related to pain assessments among nurses (Rababa et al., 2021). This will help the community by better caring for the population of patients in the acute care setting.
References
Akbar, N., Teo, S., Hj-Abdul-Rahman, H., Hj-Husaini, H, & Venkatasalu, M. (2019). Barriers and solutions for improving pain management practices in acute hospital settings: perspectives of healthcare practitioners for a pain-free hospital initiative. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article/PMC737076…
Cheraghi, R., Ebrahimi, H., Kheiba, N., & Sahebihagh, M. (2023). Reasons for resistance to change in nursing: an integrative review. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10494351/
The Joint Commission. (2024). What are the key concepts organizations need to understand regarding the pain management requirements in the leadership (LD) and provision of care, treatment, and services (PC) chapters? The Joint Commission. https://www.jointcommission.org/standards/standard-faqs/hospital-and-hospital-clinics/provision-of-care-treatment-and-services-pc/000002161/
Rababa, M., Al-Sabbag, S., & Hayajneh, A. (2021). Nurses’ perceived barriers to and facilitators of pain assessment and management in critical care patients: a systematic review. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC85775…
