Introduction: Pain is an uncomfortable feeling with a defensive or a warning role, which presents stress for an organism and a risk factor for complications. Recognition of pain in critially ill patients in intensive care units is difficult, because of their changed ability of perception and communication. Pain is often considered the fifth vital sign, which ensures its regular monitoring. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore different screening tools that can be used for early recognition of pain, to determine the factors that influence the level of pain and define the role of nurses who take care of critically ill patients with pain. Methods: In my thesis I used the descriptive method using Slovene and English professional and scientific literature, from the international online basis CINAHL, Medline and COBIB.SI. I included thirteen studies in the qualitative analysis. The reliability of evidence was evaluated by a four-point scale. Results: The research showed that the most frequent reasons for pain of critically ill patients are turning, aspiration, removal of drains and insertion of the arterial/peripheral canal. Different screening tools can be used for rating the pain. The reccommended screening tools for patients who are unable to communicate or respond are the critical care pain observation tool and the behavioural pain scale. Conclusion: As nurses continuously monitor critically ill patients, they play an important role in recognising the early signs and symptoms of pain. In Slovenia it is necessary to carry out a reasearch and to develop screening tools for pain assessment in intensive care unit. The research should take into account the most common screening tools used in other countries, compare them and issue new guidelines for assessment of pain in Slovenia. The professional development and education of nurses are also of vital importance because they can provide quality treatment with proper identification and pain relief.
|
