polytrauma assignment final
Kelly Moore
This assignment will critically analyse the current aspects of acute pain control in defence healthcare. The focus of this discussion will examine current methods of pain management utilised in British military trauma patients for repatriation via Aeromedical
Evacuation (AE). This will include the use of Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block’s
(CPNB), Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) and epidurals. In order to maintain confidentiality, all names will be replaced with pseudonyms in accordance with the
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008).
!
According to the British Pain Society (2008), acute pain can last up to two weeks. This is supported by Ready and Edwards (1992) who state that acute pain is of limited duration. Pain has been defined as a sensory and emotional response to tissue damage (Mersky and Bogduk 1994) The International Association for the Study of Pain
(IASP 2011) supports this definition by stating that it is an unpleasant experience associated with tissue damage, however McCaffrey and Beebe (1989) suggest that pain is more than tissue damage as it is also based on the patients experience. The IASP
(2011) does not support McCaffrey’s definition as they recognise that a patient’s inability to verbally communicate their experience, does not negate the possibility that they are in pain.
!
Acute pain related to injury, resolves with treatment, such as analgesia (Durate 1997).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2007), effective analgesia is imperative in post operative pain management. Under The Human Rights Act (1998) patients have a right to pain relief and as healthcare professionals, we have an
!1
Kelly Moore
obligation to ensure our patients are free from pain (NMC 2008). We are duty bound as healthcare professionals, to treat pain (Brennan et al, 2007) and a failure to do so would result in maleficence our patients would be subjected to unnecessary harm
(Beauchamp and Childress 2009).
!
Military trauma patients
This assignment will critically analyse the current aspects of acute pain control in defence healthcare. The focus of this discussion will examine current methods of pain management utilised in British military trauma patients for repatriation via Aeromedical
Evacuation (AE). This will include the use of Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block’s
(CPNB), Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) and epidurals. In order to maintain confidentiality, all names will be replaced with pseudonyms in accordance with the
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008).
!
According to the British Pain Society (2008), acute pain can last up to two weeks. This is supported by Ready and Edwards (1992) who state that acute pain is of limited duration. Pain has been defined as a sensory and emotional response to tissue damage (Mersky and Bogduk 1994) The International Association for the Study of Pain
(IASP 2011) supports this definition by stating that it is an unpleasant experience associated with tissue damage, however McCaffrey and Beebe (1989) suggest that pain is more than tissue damage as it is also based on the patients experience. The IASP
(2011) does not support McCaffrey’s definition as they recognise that a patient’s inability to verbally communicate their experience, does not negate the possibility that they are in pain.
!
Acute pain related to injury, resolves with treatment, such as analgesia (Durate 1997).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2007), effective analgesia is imperative in post operative pain management. Under The Human Rights Act (1998) patients have a right to pain relief and as healthcare professionals, we have an
!1
Kelly Moore
obligation to ensure our patients are free from pain (NMC 2008). We are duty bound as healthcare professionals, to treat pain (Brennan et al, 2007) and a failure to do so would result in maleficence our patients would be subjected to unnecessary harm
(Beauchamp and Childress 2009).
!
Military trauma patients