ch as ” He says he has pain rated 8 out of 10 but he doesn’t look distressed” or “She was laughing and talking with her visitors 5 minutes ago and now she’s buzzing for pain relief”. Such comments display the Nurses ignorance and lack of understanding of pain. It seems apparent that they do not understand about adaptation or distraction or that laughter stimulates the relaxation response throughout the body systems by lowering blood pressure, deepening breathing and releasing endorphins. Also of great importance is the need for the nurse to explore further if a patient denies pain despite indications that they are in fact suffering pain. There may various reasons for denial for example; sometimes our language when asking questions about the patient’s pain may be inappropriate. Some patients may not consider a dull constant ache as “pain” but an ache. Others may feel “sore”. Other words such as discomfort and pressure may be used instead of “Pain” We as nurses need to avoid misinterpretation by using such other words. The Nurse needs to explore the issue of pain and help to identify the source. Location. Intensity, and Quality of the pain help to identify the source. Eg. Bone, visceral or nerve pain. Identifying the source aids in determining the appropriate treatment method. The expert Nurse will be aware that nerve pain will not respond as well to opiates and that neuroleptic agents need to employed. As suggested earlier, as Nurses spend the most time with the patients they are able to obtain the most information on the patients response to pain management plans, they are able to educate patients on the need to take regular analgaesia; and they can be the most influential in management of pain.(Lindley, Dalton and Fields, 1990).Of course we as nurses in Palliative Care need to be aware that not all pain will respond well to traditional or “orthodox tre...
