NP-Bookshelf TJNP

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 4

NP Bookshelf

Marilyn Edmunds, PhD, NP

LOOKING AT THE SPECTRUM OF years. Each book has an evidence- polymorphisms and patient
PAIN CONTROL based approach, with basic infor- response to medications and
Most clinicians should be aware of mation about pain management, complementary and integrative
the escalating problem of yet each book stands alone in therapies for pain management.
adequate pain control in patients. terms of its focus on a different Some pain management tech-
The volume of pain-related dimension of pain management or niques are more specialized or
information in the literature a particular group. The series is advanced than others, requiring
grows every day and could easily edited by Yvonne D’Arcy, NP, special techniques in their
make clinicians believe that it CNS, who works at Suburban administration. The text includes
would be difficult to master it all. Hospital-Johns Hopkins Medicine sections on perioperative pain
A synthesis of pain-related in Bethesda, MD, and is also an management, patient-controlled
research suggests different treat- author of several of the texts. Let’s analgesia, epidural analgesia, and
ment challenges with different examine the features of each book regional techniques for post-
types of pain and patient groups. in turn. operative pain relief.
Thus, clinicians need to be able to One of the best parts of this
evaluate what is known about COMPACT CLINICAL GUIDE TO book is the section that deals
caring for patients in pain. ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT with difficult-to-treat patient
Pain is a common symptom, 1 Yvonne D’Arcy, 2011, populations: chronic pain patients
that affects patients universally at 334 pages, $45 with acute pain, sickle cell disease,
some point in their lives. Over Everyone experiences acute pain patients with active substance
past centuries, pain was perceived at some point in their lives—from abuse or a history of substance
as something to be endured until small, everyday causes to more abuse, abdominal pain, and
science, education, and cultural traumatic, life-threatening types emergency room, trauma, and
changes helped both clinicians and of acute pain. The need to treat critical care patients with pain.
patients expect more. Patients are and manage acute pain has led the
no longer willing to be told that Joint Commission to develop COMPACT CLINICAL GUIDE TO
“nothing can be done.” At the a standard for acute pain CHRONIC PAIN MANAGEMENT
same time, a variety of products management that all accredited Yvonne D’Arcy, 2011,
have entered the market, all with hospitals are expected to follow. 338 pages, $45
some degree of utility but none This initial textbook in the Chronic pain has its own chal-
without risks. How clinicians series describes the art and science lenges and risks. The art and the
evaluate risks and benefits and of pain assessment and identifies science of chronic pain assessment
how they match patients and their some of the common tools for is similar to acute pain manage-
pain to products and their side acute pain. This text presents ment but often more demanding
effects represent both the art and a basic section of foundational because age, other comorbidities,
the science of care. Likewise, how information and some specific or medication use may make
to protect patients from under- comments about assessing pain in assessment less certain.
dosage, overdosage, and addiction specialty populations. The book This text discusses specific
are great challenges. moves quickly into a detailed categories of medication and
Capturing and organizing all examination of specific medica- complementary and integrative
this new research about pain is just tions used for acute pain: non- therapies for pain management.
what we find as we review the opioid medications, opioid The book also goes on to discuss
Compact Clinical Guide to analgesics, or oanalgesics to the need for and use of pain
Pain Management series that has augment pain control. It also clinical referrals and interven-
been published over the past few covers the effect of opioid tional options.
www.npjournal.org The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP 323
One very thorough chapter continuous peripheral nerve block This text evaluates in depth the
deals with the effect of opioid infusions. There is also a great special physiologic factors in-
polymorphisms and gender section outlining general princi- volved with processing pain in the
differences, the problems of pain ples and cognitive-behavioral older adult. It moves beyond the
and addiction, and how to techniques and behavioral basic foundation of knowledge to
develop a comprehensive treat- approaches in achieving pain focus on what happens in older
ment plan for a patient with control with nonpharmacologic patients, both physically and
chronic pain. The types of medi- methods in these patient groups. psychologically, when they must
cations and care plan information Another chapter with unique deal with pain.
are then demonstrated effectively information in this series consists While many of the topics in
through sections examining the of how to integrate pain treatment this text are similar to the other
treatment of common chronic methods, particularly multidisci- books, the focus in clearly on the
pain conditions, such as low-back plinary approaches. The role of older adult: pain assessment in the
pain, rheumatoid arthritis and parents in achieving pain control verbal, nonverbal, and cognitively
osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and is also explored as this is a key impaired adult. There is a nice
headaches. Neuropathic pain concept if adequate pain control is review of pain assessment tools for
syndromes are also examined, to be achieved and maintained use with older adult patients.
beginning with the underlying in children. Special attention is paid to
pathology and physiology that Because this text focuses on developing a comprehensive
produces the pain. There is also an infants and children, it is impera- plan for managing pain in older
examination of peripheral neuro- tive that the clinician examine and adults. This is particularly helpful
pathic pain syndromes and central understand the family context of for patients who are at home or
pain syndromes. pain management. There are nice those entering palliative care
discussions of needle-related programs. The goal is on match-
COMPACT CLINICAL GUIDE TO procedures that clinicians will ing the right medication for the
INFANT AND CHILD PAIN appreciate. There are also some pain complaint and how analgesic
MANAGEMENT essential discussions about the medications may work together
Linda L. Oakes, 2011, tremendous impact on the family to get better pain control. Because
350 pages, $45 when the child has either a critical older patients are often taking
It is hard to believe that, until very or terminal illness and how feel- other medications or may be
recently, circumcisions and other ings of helplessness, guilt, and the more sensitive to medication side
acute procedures in infants were focus on the ill child create feel- effects, there is a special section
performed without any analgesia ings and behaviors in other family on recommendations for using
or pain relief. This text, published members that interfere with pain medications in older patients.
the same year as the previous 2 treatment and management. Another new section in this
books, begins with a brief discus- The final section of the text series includes interventional
sion of pain and assessment but focuses on managing common options, such as vertebroplasty
quickly moves into discussing the pain conditions of infants and for compression fractures, nerve
common medications for children: postoperative and blocks, and acupuncture and
managing both acute and chronic trauma-related pain, pain and other complementary interven-
pain in infants and children. The sickle-cell disease, cancer and tions for pain management in this
general principles in prescribing pain, and chronic pain. population. The role of physical
are spelled out for these therapy to help physical recon-
age groups. COMPACT CLINICAL GUIDE TO ditioning is also discussed in rela-
New to the series is a good GERIATRIC PAIN MANAGEMENT tionship to pain control.
section on regional analgesia, Ann Quinlan-Colwell, 2012, Some of the specific pain con-
including epidural infusions and 444 pages, $45 ditions common in older adults

324 The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP Volume 9, Issue 5, May 2013
and in which pain management is related pain are reviewed, CONCLUSION
important are discussed in detail: including nonopioid medications, The 5 texts in this series richly
osteoarthritis and gout, chronic opioid medications, coanalgesics summarize what is known about
back pain and osteoporosis, for additive pain relief, and the pain management. They provide
neuropathic pain associated introduction of how to manage abundant reference to selected
with postherpetic neuralgia and the side effects from pain medi- Web sites with guidelines for pain
diabetic neuropathy, central cations that have not been directly treatment in different conditions
poststroke pain syndrome, facial addressed as deeply in the other and equianalgesic conversion
pain associated with temporal texts in this series. Complemen- tables, as patients are moved from
arteritis and trigeminal neuralgia, tary and alternative medicine 1 product to another during the
rheumatological conditions, techniques for managing cancer management period.
and fibromyalgia. While some of pain are also covered. NPs continue to be 1 of the
these chronic conditions have With cancer pain, there are fastest growing groups of primary
been discussed in other books in some special interventional care providers. Thus, even before
the series, some new content is options to help patients that may the Affordable Care Act ensured
introduced because of the geri- be effective in some conditions: broader utilization of NPs, we are
atric focus. infusions and regional techniques, often the ones to help care for
Additional chapters address specialty blocks and implanted chronic pain problems associated
anxiety and depression, as well as devices, palliative chemotherapy, with the growing number of baby
alcohol and substance use, misuse, radiotherapy, and surgery. boomers entering the market.
and abuse in older adults with As cancer may provoke some Twenty-six million people in the
pain. These are important areas to special types of pain, the effect of United States suffer from severe
cover in depth and to make sure opioid polymorphisms and other pain at least monthly; those
nurse practitioners (NPs) have the physiologic factors may affect the numbers will grow as the numbers
information they need to manage adequacy of pain control. Because of patients age. Many of those
these more challenging pain management may be long patients feel hopeless and helpless
conditions. term, considerations of addiction, about the pain control they have
dependency, and tolerance in received in the past and are
COMPACT CLINICAL GUIDE TO patients with cancer are also dis- looking for better strategies to
CANCER PAIN MANAGEMENT cussed. Information is provided solve their pain problems. Even
Pamela Stitzlein Davies and on developing a comprehensive with new research and new solu-
Yvonne D’Arcy, 2013, plan of care to prescribe safely in tions, the challenge will be for
382 pages, $45 these individuals. that information to come to NPs
This text is really more of a spe- An especially strong section of in a way that can positively impact
cialty text than the others in the this book looks at cancer-related their practice.
series. It focuses almost totally on pain conditions: cancer pain My experience has been that
the types of pain that individuals emergencies, neuropathic pain, often NPs look to medical texts
experience with different forms of myofascial pain, and chronic pain for information. But this series,
cancer and how to assess their in the cancer survivor. Informa- written by NPs who are front-line
pain. Clearly, there is some tion is also discussed about pallia- experts in pain management,
duplication because cancers may tive care and hospice care when represents information they know
provide acute and chronic pain there is no cure for the cancer NPs need to know in a way that
and be found in individuals of all causing the pain, pain manage- NPs will be able to use it.
ages, so this text is fairly is ment at the end of life, and No one in the health care
comprehensive. psychosocial aspects of cancer pain setting except the nurse has it in
The common medications and where patients are isolated their position descriptions to
treatment options for cancer- and alone. teach, counsel, and advocate for

www.npjournal.org The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP 325


the patient. We are the health care really a need for more information and to teach their patients. These
providers who are most clearly about pain control—there is texts help meet those objectives.
authorized to make sure that the a need for information about pain
patient has the best result from control that is practical and makes 1555-4155/13/$ see front matter
© 2013 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
their medications. There is not sense and is easy for NPs to use http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2013.03.019

326 The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP Volume 9, Issue 5, May 2013

You might also like