Comprehensive analysis and management of chronic pain

Given the pervasive effect of chronic pain, a comprehensive approach to nursing care is needed. Addressing the physical effects of persistent pain on multiple systems and bodily functions requires combining (drug and nondrug) interventions to reduce pain and improve functioning. Targeting anxiety, depression and anger effectively can halt or even reverse the escalation of pain attributed to emotions. Recognizing belief patterns associated with distress and disability, while challenging patients to rethink the truthfulness of their perceptions is an important step in helping patients think, feel, and do better. Eliciting self-reflective narratives about the context of pain in their lives taps into the spiritual domain and initiates processes of grieving, forgiveness, and acceptance that are needed to transcend perceived limits and find new meaning in their lives. By attending to social interactions, including therapeutic relationships, chronic pain patients can become more independent and involved in family or socially meaningful activities. Combined, nurses can help patients restore joy, functioning, and a sense of purpose despite the devastating toll persistent pain has taken.