Advances in the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Advances in the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain

Felicia Cox Lead nurse pain management, Harefield Hospital, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesex, England

Why you should read this article:
  • » To recognise the various types of pain and understand their potential effects

  • » To enhance awareness of developments in the pharmacological management of pain

  • » To provide effective pain assessment and management in specific groups, such as children and young people, and older people

  • » To understand the knowledge and skills required to provide optimal pain management

Effective management of acute and chronic pain is an important aspect of nursing practice. Relieving patients’ pain requires nurses to have an understanding of the latest evidence-based approaches, which will enable them to assess pain, implement appropriate management strategies and monitor their effectiveness. This article outlines the developments in evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain, including migraine, and in the use of analgesics such as opioids. It also discusses pain management in specific groups such as children and young people, and older people.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11191

Citation

Cox F (2018) Advances in the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11191

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@FeliciaJCox

Correspondence

f.cox@rbht.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 06 June 2018

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