Pain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Pain - Essay Example the site, intensity, and direction of the cause of the pain, allowing physicians and nurses to more adequately assess the disease process, and take the steps necessary to relieve the patient’s pain. Geriatric patients undergo pain, and which may pose particular challenges in nursing care. The physical, psychological, and social impact of geriatric pain will be highlighted in this study, and the particular issues of pain assessment and management will be explained as related to nursing care.   There is no single definition of pain, as pain can manifest itself in many ways to different patients. Pain may occur in varying levels of severity, and in various parts of the physical anatomy. Many times, pain may also have mental components that must be assessed. Pain often causes distress, and alleviation of patient distress is a primary goal. Measurement of pain and implementing interventions to relieve not only the pain, but also the source of the pain, is an integral part of the caretaker’s role (Glasper, McEwing and Richardson 2009). The aim of this discussion is to provide a definition of pain that is applicable to the care setting, in which consideration is given to the elements of pain that are subjective and complex. Pain is to be evaluated as a multidimensional experience with psychological, physical, emotional, cultural and spiritual ramifications that are each significant and must be considered in order to provide high quality nursing care to patient’s e xperiences diverse types and levels of pain. A balanced approach to nursing considers the entire scope of pain when assessing a patient or providing treatment.   Almost all nurses will need to interact with geriatric patients at some point in their career. In fact, according to the American Journal of Nursing, contemporary nurses will care for more patients in the age range 65 and older than any other type of patient (â€Å"Nursing Care of Older Adults†). In order to achieve an understanding of