- Nurses and other health-care professionals are available to help find the best way to relieve or manage your pain.
- Nurses and other health-care professionals use the following principles:
- Pain is unique and different for each person.
- Pain that continues after treatment must be assessed by health-care professionals to identify the best possible way to manage the person’s pain.
- People experiencing pain and their families need to be involved in decisions about the care and management of pain.
- A variety of health-care professionals may be involved in the assessment and management of pain, especially if the person’s pain is complex.
- If you are experiencing pain, tell your nurse, doctor or any health-care professional right away.
- When you have told a health-care professional that you are in pain, be prepared to talk about:
- Location – where are you having pain? Does the pain move from one place to another?
- Description – how would you describe the pain?
- Duration and frequency – when does your pain start? How long does it last and how often does it occur?
- Intensity – how would you rate your pain?
- Treatment – what do you do to ease your pain?
- Goals – what would help you manage or control the pain?
- Your answers and the results from the physical exam and any other tests will help health-care professionals work with you to develop the best pain plan possible.
- Frequent checks by health-care professionals helps them to assess if the pain management plan is working or needs to be changed.
- To view the complete Helping You Manage Your Pain Health Education Fact Sheet click here
Clinical Management
Assessment and Management of Pain - 3rd Edition
Client and Family Education