Documentation is critical to ensure effective communication pain assessment tools
Multidimensional pain assessment tools
Pain Reassessment
Critical to reassess at appropriate intervals, guided by
Pain severity
Physical and psychosocial condition
Type of intervention
Risks of adverse effects
Institutional policy
Drug Therapy
3 categories of medications
Non-opioid
acetaminophen, aspirin and other salicylates, and NSAIDs
Opioid
Produce their effects by binding to receptors in the CNS categorized according to their physiologic action (i.e., agonist, antagonist) and binding at specific opioid receptors (e.g., mu, kappa, delta).
Adjuvant
Analgesic adjuvants are drugs that can be used alone or in conjunction with opioid and non-opioid analgesics.
Generally, these agents were developed for other purposes (e.g., anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants) and found to be effective for treating pain.