Pain is a physiological warning sign but nowadays, it is not normal for pain to persist. It is a duty for the doctor as well as for other healthcare personnel to assess and relieve patients’ pain.
There are several types of pain:
– acute pain (post-surgery, trauma, etc.): this is very recent pain. Their cause must be sought and at the same time they must be treated
– pain caused by certain treatments or examinations (dressings; installation of probes, IV fluids, etc.). This pain can be prevented. The objective is to limit their occurrence and intensity
– chronic pain (migraines, lower back pain, etc.): this is persistent pain whose cause is known and which represents a pathology in itself.
We must therefore treat the pain and everything that promotes it.
Before any procedure, healthcare personnel must explain the technique used and its procedure to you. If this act is deemed painful, the caregiver refers to a pain management protocol provided by the doctor or surgeon treating you. This protocol must be strictly followed by the nursing staff who do not have to take the initiative to modify it or reduce the doses even if they notice that you have less pain.
The healthcare staff notes the intensity of your pain in the patient file and uses the most appropriate means to prevent and relieve it (analgesics, non-drug method, etc.). To measure the intensity of pain, several scales are available.
The traceability of the pain assessment, that is to say the recording of this assessment in the patient file, is one of the indicators of quality of care in the healthcare establishment.
If, despite treatment, you still suffer, you must request that the treatment be modified, if necessary by calling a doctor.
What can we offer you when certain exams are painful?
Certain painful examinations can be carried out under sedation or general anesthesia, such as endoscopies, fiberoscopies, etc.
Likewise, dressings, rehabilitation, punctures or other painful examinations or treatments can be carried out having taken analgesic or sedative medications before or during the procedure. Don’t be surprised, one of these drugs is an anesthetic gas to breathe.
Some punctures to the arteries or catheter placement can be painful and relieved by the use of local anesthetizs which numb the area.
Should we wait for the pain to set in?
For predictable acute pain (example: that which occurs postoperatively), the doctor prescribes analgesics which must be taken by the patient systematically before the pain sets in.
For chronic pain, which lasts several weeks or months, it is preferable to take stock with your treating doctor who can refer you to specialized consultations for chronic pain organized in health establishments.
Access to chronic pain treatment facilities is by appointment only, and it is not possible to come and consult directly: you must have been referred by a doctor. The treatment of chronic pain can use various therapeutic means, the implementation of which is well codified: analgesic medications,
anesthetic and neurosurgical techniques, physiotherapy, etc.
Specialists from different disciplines intervene in these structures, because chronic pain is multifactorial. and require multi-professional care.
Do I have to follow the prescribed doses?
Pain treatment requires taking precisely the right doses. Do not take any initiative in this area without warning your doctor.
What is the pain relief contract?
The employment contract, put in place by the national program (2002-2005) to combat pain in health establishments, is a document given to all hospitalized patients at the same time as the welcome booklet. This document constitutes an act of commitment to a policy of improving pain management for those receiving treatment.
The engagement contract was updated during the 2011 conference: “Pain management: users’ expectations, the action of public authorities and the commitment of health professionals”.
