AN INTRODUCTION TO ACUTE PAIN ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT

This review is intended to introduce the pharmacy student to the area of acute pain management. Acute pain is a subjective experience that i s usually associated with tissue damage. Acute pain is associated with a number of complex pathophysiologic changes that may cause detriment al events apart from the actual site of injury. An initial assessment of the painful state should be performed, followed by consistent asses sments once therapies are introduced. Nonpharmacological approaches to pain include the use of heal and cold therapies, transcutaneous elect rical nerve stimulation, and psychological techniques. The pharmacolog ical therapies used for pain control include the nonsteroidal anti-inf lammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the opioids, and local anesthetic agents. Ot her products such as the counterirritants are often used topically in the community setting for localized pain control. Regardless of the se tting, the interaction between the pharmacist and the patient is an im portant aspect of pain management.