Wound Care Today

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12 WOUND CARE TODAY 2016,Vol 3, No 1
FOCUS ON PAIN i
Pain management in wound
care is a daily challenge
for nurses and in a much
wider context is a psychosocial
phenomenon, uniquely complex
to each individual person who
experiences it. It is part of
a nurse’s professional duty
of care to alleviate wound
pain. Pain is a multifaceted
experience, for which
there is no ‘one-size-fits-
all’ management approach
in relation to wound care;
rather, it is vital to emphasise
the importance of assessing
each person as an individual
(Gloth, 2011).
Nurses should approach
the management of wound
pain in an objective and holistic
manner, listening to the individual’s
experience of pain and how
it impacts on their life. They
should also listen to the patient’s
experience of different treatment
options that have been used to
alleviate pain, and what may or may
not have worked in the past.
Managing pain in
wound care
Due to the business of clinical
life and growing caseloads of
patients both in numbers and
complexity, pain has the potential
to be misinterpreted which, in turn,
can lead to it being mismanaged.
blasé to the complex assessment
and management of pain?
Young (2007) highlighted the
many myths surrounding wound
pain, such as the idea that older
people have greater tolerance,
or that certain wounds are
more painful than others, e.g.
the deeper the wound, the
more painful it is.
The assessment and
management of pain does
not sit within a tidy box of
structure and alignment.
Thus, it is important that
nurses allow themselves the
time to assess pain, as this
can influence the patient
experience at that point of
contact and in the future. Assessing
Jemell Geraghty, lead nurse, tissue viability, Royal
Free London NHS Foundation Trust
IN BRIEF
Wound pain should be approached in an holistic and objective
manner, listening to the patient’s experience of pain and how it is
affecting their daily lives.
It is important to clarify the type of pain being experiened —
whether it is background, breakthrough, procedural or operative.
Choosing an appropriate dressing to manage the wound can have a
huge impact on the patient and their perception of pain .
KEY WORDS:
Complex wounds
Pain
Holistic assessment
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Jemell Geraghty
Figure 1. Wound pain can have a devastating effect
on patients’ lives.
Top tip:
Time management in wound
care is a skill in itself in terms of
communicating with the patient,
cleansing and redressing wounds,
as well as tidying up and ensuring
that all documentation is accurate
and up to date. Keep a diary to
reflect on how you manage
your time and consider if and how
this could be improved.
This can have a detrimental
effect on a person’s daily life,
relationships, job and confidence.
This article will explore a number
of everyday approaches to
assessing pain, as well as providing
practical tips and strategies
aimed at relieving pain in wound
management.
PAIN PERCEPTION
The author asks the question that
with the business of clinical life, do
we as nurses sometimes become
Credit: Sander van der Wel@wikicommons.com