PNUR124 WEEK 6 STUDY GUIDE
Week 6: Pain
1. Identify the factors that influence the pain experience.
Pain Experience = Its is the symptom most associated with describing oneself as
“ill.”
o Most common reason why people seek health care services.
o Not well understood despite being a common issue.
o Inconsistently and inadequately addressed.
o Has both a physical and psychological nature of the experience.
Pain is "whatever the person experiencing it says it is, and existing wherever the
person says it does."
Factors of the Pain Experience:
o Age/Developmental stage
developmental differences determines how children and older
adults perceive and react to pain
o Gender
Women have higher threshold and experience more intense pain
than men.
o Previous experience with pain
o Meaning of pain
affects the pain experience and how a patient adapts. Pain will be
perceived differently if it suggests a threat, loss, punishment or
challenge.
o Heredity
generic disposition can influence our ability to metabolize pain
med, pain threshold, pain tolerance and susceptibility to develop
chronic pain.
o Emotional status
o Social Factors
Attention – more focus on pain can influence pain perception.
Experience - previous painful experience may determine how a
patient responds to future painful events.
Family & Social Support – family and friends provide comfort,
protection and support.
o Absence of support can make the pain experience more
stressful/unpleasant.
o Culture / ethnic values
shapes individual responses, behaviours & attitudes about pain
and how they react and cope.
Expectations and accepted behaviours about pain are learned.
1
PNUR124
, PNUR124 WEEK 6 STUDY GUIDE
Nurses may expect patients to act or behave in a particular
manner when in pain. Some cultures are expressive about pain
while others are not.
Remember that pain has different meanings for different cultures
(culturally sensitive care).
o Environment & support person
o Spiritual Factors
Religion & spirituality help some people to connect with
nature/universe.
Pain may be viewed as retribution from God, chance to
demonstrate inner strength with a reward to come after death.
Hope, prayer, attending church prayer, spiritual support have all
been linked to less pain suffering.
Use of spiritual assessment tool (FICA) is helpful to explore
patients' spirituality/pain relationship.
o Anxiety & Stress
associated with many types of pain although cause and effect not
established. If anxiety goes unnoticed, pain may not be managed
effectively.
o Sleep
disturbances including insomnia can increase pain perception &
intensity, decrease coping abilities
2. Discuss the key strategies, barriers, and principles of pain management.
Definition of Pain
o "An unpleasant subjective, sensory and emotional experience associated
with actual or potential tissue damage."
o Highly individualized. Personal experience. Can be accurately described
only by the person experiencing it.
o Pain also serves a protective role; a warning sign of potentially life-
threatening condition.
o Referred to as the: “Fifth Vital Sign”
Significance of Pain Problem
o Unrelieved ongoing pain is an epidemic in Canada and other parts of the
world.
o Pain is the leading cause of disability among working aged Canadians. Up
to 60% of pain sufferers in Canada lose their jobs or incur great income
loss (back pain).
o Global impact of pain has a major negative economic impact (estimated
lost productivity ranging from US$297.4 -335.5 billion)
2
PNUR124
Week 6: Pain
1. Identify the factors that influence the pain experience.
Pain Experience = Its is the symptom most associated with describing oneself as
“ill.”
o Most common reason why people seek health care services.
o Not well understood despite being a common issue.
o Inconsistently and inadequately addressed.
o Has both a physical and psychological nature of the experience.
Pain is "whatever the person experiencing it says it is, and existing wherever the
person says it does."
Factors of the Pain Experience:
o Age/Developmental stage
developmental differences determines how children and older
adults perceive and react to pain
o Gender
Women have higher threshold and experience more intense pain
than men.
o Previous experience with pain
o Meaning of pain
affects the pain experience and how a patient adapts. Pain will be
perceived differently if it suggests a threat, loss, punishment or
challenge.
o Heredity
generic disposition can influence our ability to metabolize pain
med, pain threshold, pain tolerance and susceptibility to develop
chronic pain.
o Emotional status
o Social Factors
Attention – more focus on pain can influence pain perception.
Experience - previous painful experience may determine how a
patient responds to future painful events.
Family & Social Support – family and friends provide comfort,
protection and support.
o Absence of support can make the pain experience more
stressful/unpleasant.
o Culture / ethnic values
shapes individual responses, behaviours & attitudes about pain
and how they react and cope.
Expectations and accepted behaviours about pain are learned.
1
PNUR124
, PNUR124 WEEK 6 STUDY GUIDE
Nurses may expect patients to act or behave in a particular
manner when in pain. Some cultures are expressive about pain
while others are not.
Remember that pain has different meanings for different cultures
(culturally sensitive care).
o Environment & support person
o Spiritual Factors
Religion & spirituality help some people to connect with
nature/universe.
Pain may be viewed as retribution from God, chance to
demonstrate inner strength with a reward to come after death.
Hope, prayer, attending church prayer, spiritual support have all
been linked to less pain suffering.
Use of spiritual assessment tool (FICA) is helpful to explore
patients' spirituality/pain relationship.
o Anxiety & Stress
associated with many types of pain although cause and effect not
established. If anxiety goes unnoticed, pain may not be managed
effectively.
o Sleep
disturbances including insomnia can increase pain perception &
intensity, decrease coping abilities
2. Discuss the key strategies, barriers, and principles of pain management.
Definition of Pain
o "An unpleasant subjective, sensory and emotional experience associated
with actual or potential tissue damage."
o Highly individualized. Personal experience. Can be accurately described
only by the person experiencing it.
o Pain also serves a protective role; a warning sign of potentially life-
threatening condition.
o Referred to as the: “Fifth Vital Sign”
Significance of Pain Problem
o Unrelieved ongoing pain is an epidemic in Canada and other parts of the
world.
o Pain is the leading cause of disability among working aged Canadians. Up
to 60% of pain sufferers in Canada lose their jobs or incur great income
loss (back pain).
o Global impact of pain has a major negative economic impact (estimated
lost productivity ranging from US$297.4 -335.5 billion)
2
PNUR124
