Straight A Nursing

Welcome back to Straight A Nursing, the podcast that provides practical tips and knowledge to excel in your nursing practice. In this episode, we'll be exploring pain fundamentals. In addition to learning about opioids commonly used to treat pain, you’ll learn the significant impact acetaminophen and NSAIDs can have on a patient's pain level, and how these medications can significantly reduce the need for opioids. You’ll also learn the basics of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and the importance of careful medication administration. And don't worry, we won't forget about nonpharmacologic pain therapies, which can actually make a huge difference! But that's not all - we'll also dive into the different types of pain, including nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic pain, exploring their unique characteristics and treatment approaches. We'll also discuss pain scales, including the well-known Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and the Adult Nonverbal Pain Scale (ANPS), providing insights into how to assess pain in