Controlling Pain

Controlling pain is one of the most important goals of hospice care. Pain is whatever the person experiencing the pain says it is. That person, alone, is the expert on the type of pain that he/she is experiencing. Pain can be classified as acute — that which is sudden, intense, generally of short duration, and often non-recurring. Pain can also be termed as chronic — that which is constant, persistent, and of long duration.

Chronic pain is the type of pain experienced by people with certain conditions or diseases, cancer being such a disease. Chronic pain causes not only physical discomfort, but emotional discomfort and social incapacity as well. Obviously, if we are able to control pain to the best of our knowledge, then life itself becomes more enjoyable. Therefore, the principle underlying the management of chronic pain is twofold: to eliminate the pain (or reduce pain to a tolerable level) and then keep the pain from returning.

In order to achieve this worthwhile goal, it is necessary to revise the manner in which we prescribe or administer pain-relieving medications. Your nurse will work with both the patient/family and doctor to achieve the best method possible to control the pain.