Pain: A Genuine Reality

Abstract

Pain is a frequent symptom manifest by patients in different situations, including those who are hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU). In such units, pain is occasionally underestimated and, therefore, hardly treated. The psychological, hemodynamic, metabolic and neuroendocrine reactions provoked by inadequate pain control can produce increased illness and even death. This is why pain assessment has become a challenge to health professionals, especially nurses, as it is they who provide direct and permanent care. Nurses also have the ability to detect and control a patient’s pain and suffering, as a fundamental principle in their assessment. The importance of a thorough grasp of the situation, specifically one that allows for an understanding of physiological changes, as well as the impact of pain on the patient’s life and his/her environment, is often overlooked. The purpose of this article is to analyze the necessity and significance of applying the theory of unpleasant symptoms in everyday practice, as a way to assess pain, to understand its integral meaning, and to know the characteristics particular to each person, as well as their physiological, psychological and environmental factors. To this end, general concepts of pain, medium range theories and application of the theory of unpleasant symptoms are reviewed for an adequate and well-timed assessment of pain in critically ill patients.