Essential pain management: how to use it in practice

Nursing Standard Podcast

‘Everybody’s going to get pain at some point in their lives. It’s something we’re all going to experience.’ And that’s why it is vital that all nurses have a firm grasp of essential pain management (EPM), according to RCN Pain and Palliative Care Forum chair Martin Galligan.

In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, guest host Martin – who is also a lecturer practitioner at the Royal Marsden School – discusses what EPM is and how nurses can use it to provide holistic treatment for patients who are experiencing pain.

Then, along with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust pain management nurse consultant Karin Cannons and Birmingham Children’s Hospital nurse consultant Rachel Desai, he looks at how it can be used in practice.

Martin, Karin and Rachel use the RAT structure of recognise, assess and treat to explore some real-world examples of pain management.

How would you apply the RAT structure to a 51-year-old man with a two-year history of lower back pain who presents with increased pain and trouble walking after a recent fall? Or a 12-year-old girl who presents with abdominal pain which has been ongoing for a few days, but suddenly worsened the previous night?

For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast

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