Managing Chronic Back Pain: Nursing Interventions and Joint Commission

This essay provides a detailed analysis of nursing interventions for managing chronic back pain in a 55-year-old female patient, Katrina, whose healthcare provider is seeking alternative pain relief plans without the use of opioids. The essay highlights key nursing interventions such as assessing pain levels using a numerical rating scale, involving the patient in decision-making regarding pain management plans, educating the patient about various pain management approaches including treatments and side effects, providing non-pharmacological comfort measures, and consistently assessing the patient's need for pain management. Each intervention is supported with rationales explaining its importance in patient care. The essay also explains how these interventions align with the Joint Commission standard PC. 01. 02. 07, which emphasizes the hospital's responsibility to assess and manage patient pain while minimizing risks associated with treatment. The essay concludes by reinforcing the importance of non-opioid pain management strategies and the role of nurses in developing comprehensive care plans to address patient pain effectively.

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT 1
Nursing Assignment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

NURSING ASSIGNMENT 2
Introduction
Opioids are a category of medications normally found in the opium poppy plant and it
functions in the brain to generate a diversity of effects inclusive of pain relief with several of
these medications (American Academy of Pain Medicine. 2018). The essay focuses on a 55-year
old female patient, Katrina who has complex chronic back pain. Her health care provider has
been working with Katrina to establish another pain relief plan without the use of opioids. The
essay describes nursing interventions for Katrina alongside rationales for their choice and
describes how the interventions allineate with the Joint Commission standard PC. 01. 02. 07.
For Katrina with chronic back pain, one nursing intervention would be assessing her level
of pain by asking her to rate her pain by use of a numerical rating scale. The numerical rating
scale starts from zero which represents no pain and ten which represents the worst possible pain
(Treas, Wilkinson, Barnett & Smith, 2018). The rationale in assessing her pain is to aid in
identifying the potency of the pain together with any changes in the pain.
Another intervention involves helping Katrina to make decisions regarding selecting a
certain pain management plan. The logic of this intervention is to elevate the willingness of the
patient to embrace new interventions to aid reprieve of pain via guidance and support. Here,
Katrina might start to feel self-assured concerning the efficacy of the intervention.
Furthermore, educating the patient of pain management approach including treatments,
drug administration, and side effects along with their complications is an intervention for
managing Katrina’s pain. The most essential steps towards enhanced control of discomfort is a
better comprehension of the patient of the nature of pain, its therapies along with the obligation
the patient has to perform in controlling the pain.

NURSING ASSIGNMENT 3
The health care provider should provide non-pharmacological techniques or comfort
measures to manage Katrina’s pain. From the case study, Katrina has used complementary
treatments and therefore the health care provider should give her sufficient information regarding
various forms of non-pharmacological approaches to manage her pain. The rationale for giving
her the information is to minimize Katrina’s dependence on the use of opioids.
Lastly, the health care provider should assess her need for pain management (Hinkle &
Cheever, 2018). Every clinical staff would have to address Katrina’s pain to provide maximum
pain relief. This intervention would treat Katrina’s pain from every shift. The rationale for the
response is to give patient-centered care for her pain. Consistent trailing of pain seems to be a
vital factor in ameliorating the management of pain.
The Joint Commission standard PC. 01. 02. 07, states that the hospital assesses and
manages the pain of the patient along with minimizing the perils affiliated with therapy (Joint
Commission. 2017). The standard requests that the health facility treats the patient’s pain or
refers her for therapy. The referral could stand with a physical therapist and the health institution
is to engage the patient in the care plan management by observation of the pain scale of the
patient.
In helping the patient make decisions regarding selecting a specific pain management
approach, the health facility engages patients in the pain management treatment planning
process. They engage patients via establishing realistic anticipations along with measurable
objectives which are comprehended by the patient for the level, period along with minimization
of pain. Besides, the health facility discusses the goals utilized to evaluate therapy progress and
provide education on management of pain, therapy alternatives, alongside the use of opioid and
non-opioid drugs when recommended (Joint Commission. 2017).

NURSING ASSIGNMENT 4
Furthermore, the health care institution educates the patient on discharge plans affiliated
with pain management. As per the standard, education involves the side effects of pain
management therapy, the plan of care for pain management along with the safe use, storage
together with the disposal of opioids when prescribes (Joint Commission. 2017). Moreover, it
involves operations of daily living inclusive of the home environment which may aggravate pain
or minimize the effectiveness of pain management care plan as well as the approaches to address
the issues.
Conclusion
Opioids are known to be good relievers of pain. Although these medications may not effectively
manage pain, nurses need to develop care plans which may not involve the use of opioids.
Nursing interventions required to manage patients’ pain include assessing the level of pain,
educating the patient on pain management techniques and providing non-pharmacological
comfort measures. Moreover, assessing the need for a patient for the management of pain is an
intervention that could aid the patient with agony.

NURSING ASSIGNMENT 5
References
American Academy of Pain Medicine. (2018). Position Statements: Use of Opioids for the
Treatment of Chronic Pain.
http://www.painmed.org/practicemanagement/position-statements/
Hinkle, J., & Cheever, K. (2018). Brunner and Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing
(14th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Joint Commission. (2017). Joint Commission enhances pain assessment and management
requirements for accredited hospitals. The Joint Commission Perspectives, 37(7), 1-4.
Treas, L., Wilkinson, J., Barnett, K., & Smith, M. (2018). Basic nursing: Thinking, doing, and
caring (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.