Are there evidence based tools to assess pain in unconscious intubated patients.

摘要

Pain is a real problem in our healthcare world today. The gold standard for measuring pain is a patient's self report. Self-report is a reliable indicator for those patients who are able to communicate. The literature lacks sufficient evidence of a clear and reliable way to measure pain in the unconscious and intubated patient who obviously can not communicate with their healthcare providers.;Research shows that untreated pain affects all of the major systems of the body. Complications often times can arise from pain, which further impede a patient's recovery. Failure to recognize pain can in-fact contribute to a decline in a patient's health status.;Further research into detecting pain in unconscious and intubated patients is of grave importance to prevent current and future suffering and the complications that accompany untreated pain. Only when we develop appropriate ways to assess this unseen pain, can we accurately treat and prevent it and the complications that come with it.