A Concept Analysis of Pain, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The concept of pain represents a challenging discussion of the nature of this phenomenon and how it impacts human health and wellbeing. A concept analysis is an important means of evaluating a topic and determining its level of significance to the practice environment. Nurses use concept analyses to better understand different perspectives regarding the concept and how it impacts patient care and treatment, along with other factors that support nurses’ ability to be effective advocates for their patients and the experiences that they endure. It is necessary to identify a concept that is both challenging and multi-faceted in order to determine how it might be effective in improving knowledge to enable patients to receive the best possible care and treatment.  A concept analysis requires an evaluation of existing literature and evaluating the concept’s individual characteristics, along with an understanding of its antecedents and consequences. These factors are then utilized to address an example case that is designed to better understand the concept and how it impacts nursing practice in different ways. The following discussion will address the concept of pain and how it impacts individual patients and the care and treatment that is provided by nurses. This discussion will examine existing literature regarding the subject and will distinguish between different characteristics of pain that ultimately impact patient care and treatment on different levels.

Purpose of the Analysis

The concept of pain is highly complex and requires a significant understanding of different levels in order to determine how to identify specific treatment methods that will be effective for patients and that will demonstrate a high level understanding of pain and its impact on patient care as a whole. There are considerable differences associated with different types of pain; therefore, it is essential to identify some of these differences and to be effective in communicating the challenges of treating pain and how it influences patients differently in each case, based upon a variety of conditions. This analysis provides a higher level of clarity regarding pain and how to manage it from a nursing-based perspective to ensure that patients do not experience long-term side effects and challenges a result of pain that disrupt their quality of life on different levels.

Review of Scholarly Literature

Pain management is addressed by nurses in a variety of different forms and requires nurses to be receptive to the needs of their patients and to the physical and emotional context of this phenomenon. However, prior to this step, the basic concept of pain must be identified. To be specific, “Pain is a universal phenomenon experienced from birth to the end of life…It exists from the simplest type that is mild and inconsequential to an intolerable type that requires treatment as well as persistent chronic type of pain that is beyond cure” (Silva, 2014). In this context, pain is identified in a number of different forms and represents a challenge to those who experience it to the point that it disrupts normal activities (Silva, 2014). Under these conditions, pain must be evaluated on a number of levels, including those that go beyond the physical, such as its emotional and psychological consequences, because they also contribute to sensations that often interfere with achieving successful quality of life (Silva, 2014).

Pain management must be considered as part of a larger process, one that often involves nurses and other healthcare professionals in order to identify the origins of pain and how it impacts an individual’s life in different ways (Henderson et.al, 2012). Research regarding pain has increased intensely in recent years and new discoveries regarding pain have been identified that influence management techniques and other issues that are directly related to pain as part of a larger multi-dimensional process (Henderson et.al, 2012). Research has included not only the physical aspects of pain management, but also the psychological context of this process, particularly as it impacts individuals who experience injury, as well as its unknown origins (Silva, 2014). Pain management has become increasingly challenging in recent years, due in large part to the high level of opioid addiction and abuse that exists throughout the world, and particularly in the United States (Henderson et.al, 2012). These concepts represent an opportunity to examine pain management in different context, including cancer pain, abdominal pain, and other types of pain that impact quality of life (Henderson et.al, 2012).

Many individuals experience different types of persistent pain that impact their daily lives in significant ways. It is believed that “As the experience of pain is a very important biological stimulus, it is immediately evident that respondent (Pavlovian) conditioning might play an important role when pain is repeatedly experienced, as is the case in the transition from acute to chronic pain” (Flor, 2012, p. 110). Therefore, the initial physical response to pain many translate into a more prominent psychological response if the pain persists, at which time it may be observed as a chronic condition (Flor, 2012). These factors demonstrate the importance of developing a more comprehensive understanding of pain and how it impacts the life span, along with other factors that influence how pain is managed within the psychological context of human response (Flor, 2012). Similarly, pain is a unique phenomenon that requires a clearer understanding of its psychological context and consequences because these factors impact how pain is observed and identified in individuals, as well as how some treatments may lead to severe physical, emotional, and psychological consequences that are very difficult to overcome (Jensen & Turk, 2014). This approach to understanding pain requires individuals to recognize that pain is largely psychological in nature and requires nurses to be receptive to a variety of treatments that go beyond oral medications (Jensen & Turk, 2014). Traditional clinical methods are instrumental and are the most common forms of pain management; however, psychological tools must also be considered and are likely to have a significant impact on patient treatment methods and outcomes, including the Operant Model, cognitive-behavioral therapies, relaxation, and other concepts that do not have medical origins (Jensen & Turk, 2014).

Possible Uses of the Concept

Pain is a term that is used widely throughout medical practice, yet it is largely misunderstood with respect to diagnosis and treatment, particularly in regards to the origins of pain in many patients. Pain is discussed in nursing practice and in other areas of the medical community, along with the fields of psychology and psychiatry. Therefore, it is important to address the circumstances under which pain might be observed in patients, the nature of the pain, and how it might be evaluated and treated by a variety of different providers in both medical and non-medical terms.

Defining Attributes

Pain is typically identified as a stimulus or a response to specific receptors that are affected by the sensations that pain introduces to the body. Although pain is often observed in a largely physical context, it is nonetheless also identified in psychological terms as part of the response to the stimuli that bring about the pain sensation to begin with. These factors support an understanding of pain as a complex phenomenon with many different characteristics that must be examined in order to determine the source of pain and how it impacts human organs and systems in different ways.

Model Cases

Pain is typically categorized in two ways: acute and chronic. Therefore, it is important to address different types of examples of pain, one from each category, in order to determine how to best approach pain management in an effective manner and as a concept that requires further consideration and evaluation. An example of acute pain might be the result of a need for emergency surgery in the case of appendicitis, whereby pain is observed and then is eliminated once the source of pain has been eliminated. On the other hand, chronic pain may be identified in patients with osteoarthritis, where the gradual decline of limb function may contribute to a chronic pain state.

Alternative Cases

Alternative cases related to pain may be related to the perception of pain in those who are addicted to painkillers, even though they no longer experience the originating source of pain, continue to claim to experience pain in order to receive opioid medication. Another case to consider would be an individual who possesses mental or psychological concerns and is claiming that he or she is in pain in order to get attention, when pain does not really exist.

Antecedents

The antecedents are the sensations that require a diagnosis of pain, often attributed to specific stimuli that cause these sensations and then create an environment in which pain is observed in any number of forms. These antecedents may contribute to a variety of conditions that influence pain, and they also impact how individuals will respond to pain once a definitive diagnosis is made.

Consequences

The consequences of pain may include addiction to painkillers in some cases, reduced quality of life, limited mobility, and a lack of emotional connection and/or strength when the pain is too great to bear. These consequences are physical, psychological, and emotional in nature and require an examination of the different constructs of pain and how they impact outcomes for patients.

Empirical Referents

The empirical referents for individuals who experience pain may be difficulties in moving around, the development of swelling in joints and limbs, the inability to consume food or drink, nausea and vomiting, a lack of concentration on any other factors except the source of the pain, and other concepts that have a significant impact on individual emotions and physical characteristics in regards to pain.

Conclusion

The concept of pain is highly complex and requires a collaborative effort from nurses, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals in order to identify how to effectively manage pain and to be receptive to ideas that will lead to favorable outcomes for patients. A concept analysis offers a greater understanding of pain and how it influences the human condition, along with other factors that contribute to the development of strategies to facilitate pain management to improve quality of life and to recognize how pain impacts the life span in different ways. The physical, psychological, and emotional consequences of pain must be considered and provide support for the development of management techniques that will facilitate positive outcomes and demonstrate a high level understanding of how to identify, diagnose, address, and manage pain in an effective manner. This is an important and meaningful opportunity to examine the different constructs of pain and how to develop management plans for individual patients to meet their needs. The concept analysis provides a framework for examining how pain impacts human beings in different ways and how it translates into a challenging set of circumstances for evaluation.

References

Flor, H. (2012). New developments in the understanding and management of persistent pain. Current opinion in psychiatry, 25(2), 109-113.

Henderson, W. A., Thomas, D. A., Cantor, F. K., & Hunter, C. M. (2012). News from NIH: pain management. Translational behavioral medicine, 2(1), 1-2.

Jensen, M. P., & Turk, D. C. (2014). Contributions of psychology to the understanding and treatment of people with chronic pain: Why it matters to ALL psychologists. American Psychologist, 69(2), 105.

Linton, S. J., & Shaw, W. S. (2011). Impact of psychological factors in the experience of pain. Physical therapy, 91(5), 700-711.

Lynch, M. E. (2011). The need for a Canadian pain strategy. Pain Research & Management: The Journal of the Canadian Pain Society, 16(2), 77.

Silva, J. A. D. (2014). The challenge of pain. Psychology & Neuroscience, 7(1), 01-02.