Pain Management and Nursing Approaches in Pediatric Oncology

Abstract

Pain is defined as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage (Higginson&Murtagh 2010). Defining "pain" in a succinct manner is a great challenge. What is pain? It has been described as an emotional state, a physical experience, a spiritual sacrament, and a complex set of interconnected subcellular signals (Mirchandani et al., 2011). According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is defined as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience which we primarily associate with tissue damage or describe in terms of such damage, or both (Portenoy&Kanner 1996). In different places and in different points over time, both Eastern and Western medical traditions have included a concept of imbalance as an important etiology of painful symptoms (Helms, 1998) ... the difference between the body of a living man and that of a dead man is just like the difference between (Bias&Cope, 2011). Cancer pain may be either acute or chronic. Acute pain; acute pain is initially treated with short-acting non-opioid pharmacologic agents or combination opioid drugs. Acute versus chronic pain is important to clearly differentiate. Acute pain is rapid in onset, self-limiting, a symptom of the disease, and the patient often presents in acute distress. Examples of acute pain include postoperative pain, obstetrical labor pain, and trauma or injury-related pain and characteristically is described as sudden, sharp, and localized pain. It is usually self-limited and may be associated with physiologic changes such as diaphoresis and increases in heart rate and blood pressure (Mirchandani et al 2011). Chronic pain; chronic pain is long-term pain classified as acute, moderate, and severe. It is often differentiated as malignant or non-malignant pain. Chronic pain is often described as gnawing, aching, and diffuse and is more gradual in onset and cessation than acute pain, which can also be simultaneously superimposed on top of the former. It can vary in intensity, may remit briefly, and has definite impact psychologically and socially. Pain characteristics: Acute and chronic was given Table 1. The treatment for such pain is often successful with traditional pharmacologic measures; however, often less traditional drugs and even non-pharmacologic therapies are necessary to achieve relief (Mirchandani et al., 2011).

Assessment of pain management adequacy among hospitalized pediatric patients: institutional-based cross-sectional study

“…Pediatric pain treatment protocols have made great progress recently with the advancement and validation of pain valuation tools for pediatric patients ( 12 , 13 ). With all these advancements, the management of pain in pediatrics is still not well addressed.…”

The Effect of Aromatherapy Inhalation on Reducing Chronic Pain for Children with Cancer: A Pilot Study

“…This condition can last a long time -as long as the child still has cancer cells in his/her body [3]. Persistent pain experienced by children can also lead to physical consequences, such as obstacles in physical mobility, decreased immunity, decreased appetite and concentration, sleep disorders and disruption in socializing [4]. Whereas psychologically, the condition of chronic pain is associated with the emergence of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) that can emerge when children begin to enter adulthood [5].…”