Pain Management

 

Your Right to Pain Management
You have the right to information about pain and pain relief measures - to caring, concerned and responsive staff who are committed to pain prevention, and to state of the art pain management.

As a patient, we encourage you to:

• Ask your doctor and nurse what to expect regarding pain and pain management.
• Discuss pain relief options with your doctor and nurse.
• Discuss with your doctor or nurse any concerns you might have about taking pain medication.
• Work with your doctor and nurse to develop a pain management plan.
• Ask for pain relief when it first begins.
• Help the doctor and nurse measure your pain.
• Tell the doctor or nurse if your pain is not relieved.

Facts about pain and medication:

• It is important to know what kind of medicine you are taking for your pain.
• Pain medication, when given with supervision, is safe and effective. Strong pain medication is rarely addictive when given in this manner.
• Medication may be prescribed by your doctor to help relieve side effects.
• It is understood that pain or discomfort may be intensified after operative procedures, certain activities and during the healing process. Taking pain medication prior to walking, exercising, or other activities can make that activity more tolerable and perhaps help speed your recovery.
• There are other methods of relieving pain such as relaxation, deep breathing, position change, and music.

We want you to be comfortable
Keeping your pain under control is important to your recovery and well being. It will help you eat better, sleep better, move around more easily and visit with your family and friends. In order to help improve your comfort level and speed your recovery, we ask that you pay attention to your level of pain and use the pain scale and report any pain you experience.

 

To keep your pain below the moderate to severe range on the scale, it is important that you do not wait until the pain is severe before you request relief. Staff will be asking about your pain on a routine basis. The nurses will administer pain medication as prescribed by your physician. If your pain is not relieved by your medicine, or if you are having any side effects, please tell your doctor or nurse so that something can be done about it.

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