Reflection
Before starting this class, I thought of pain mainly as a symptom of disease rather than an illness by itself. I found, through research, that many other people’s beliefs are similar to mine. Individuals tend to look further to find the underlying cause of pain in the body while treating the pain symptoms. I was surprised to learn that pain is a bit complicated than this and that people’s beliefs can influence their coping methods.
In particular, I learned that a nurse's beliefs about pain influence how they interpret a patient’s pain and how they manage it. For example, where an individual’s culture attributes pain to anxiety, they are also likely to use self-management techniques such as relaxation (Babadağ et al., 2015). It was interesting to see that professionals differ on who is equipped to determine the existence of pain (Dijk et al., 2017). It is subjective, where patients live through it, and caregivers struggle to pinpoint how patients respond to treatment through close eyelids.
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According to Babadağ et al. (2015), nurses should additionally examine patients' beliefs about pain to design appropriate patient care. They also play an essential role in edifying patients about pain. Pain education applied in the context of previous beliefs and attitudes is useful in changing negative attitudes, applying appropriate interventions, and achieving better health outcomes. Without adequately addressing these opinions, the pain will continue to be undertreated and harm patients by contributing to stress, among other conditions (Dijk et al., 2017).
As a nursing practitioner, I will be attuned to the patient’s beliefs about pain as I confront mine. I will identify and evaluate self-management strategies they use and encourage appropriate ones. Most importantly, education on pain and its management will be at the forefront of my practice. I will strive to develop myself academically in this regard.
References
Babadağ, B., Alparslan, G. B., & Güleç, S. (2015). The Relationship Between Pain Beliefs and Coping with Pain of Algology Patients'. Pain Management Nursing , 16 (6), 910–919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2015.07.004
Dijk, J. F. V., Schuurmans, M. J., Alblas, E. E., Kalkman, C. J., & Wijck, A. J. V. (2017). Postoperative pain: knowledge and beliefs of patients and nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing , 26 (21-22), 3500–3510. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13714
