Concept Analysis of Pain - Research Paper

Introduction

Pain is the most common diagnosis in nursing and the frequent problem that patients seek help in the clinical setting. By definition, pain is the unpleasant, uncomfortable and distressful feeling. Studies have revealed that prolonged pain can affect an individual's quality of life, increase the healthcare cost, and cause emotional and physical effects (White, 2014). So, pain is a crucial problem in the health care field. Recent research conducted in pain concluded that it might be difficult to control pain completely even with pharmacological therapies and the state-of-art technology (Heslop & Lu, 2014). According to Larner (2014), one of the reasons behind continued pain in individuals is the lack of adequate knowledge of pain management by health care providers. Another reason may be divergent perspectives on the concept of pain. Parsons, Emir, and Clair (2015) for instance used the concept analysis methods of Walker and Avant to define the critical characteristics o pain. Sabei and Lasater (2016) noted that these two concepts of evaluating pain are the only ones available in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) data search. Walker and Avant's concepts of pain analysis share the view that pain is a distressful, uncomfortable, unwanted, unpleasant and personal experience. Therefore, concept analysis is one approach used to clarify the definition of pain. This analysis aims to illustrate the defining features of pain and its potential effects.

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Purpose and Process of Concept Analysis of Pain

Wilson (2014) argued that concept analysis enables nursing researchers to examine the characteristics of a concept. The purpose of using concept analysis is to separate the real features of an idea from the irrelevant characteristics. Simply put, it is a procedure of identifying the similarities and the differences of a concept. According to White (2014), concepts such as suffering are associated with pain. For that reason, it is imperative to differentiate the concept of pain from other similar ideas. Heslop and Lu (2014) stated that cconcept analysis is based on the following steps: selecting a concept; defining the purpose of the study; determining the uses of the concept; identifying the defining characteristics; constructing a model case; determining antecedents and consequences, and describing experiential referents.

Definitions of Pain

The Oxford English Dictionary defines pain as the sensation that one feels when hurt in body or mind. Another explanation is that pain is the opposite of pleasure caused by suffering, and distress experienced by a person. It is also trouble that occurs after accomplishing something difficult. Heslop and Lu (2014) define pain as an unpleasant sensation localized to a section of the body. According to White (2014), pain is an unpleasant emotional experience triggered by a noxious stimulus and relayed to a central nervous system through a neural network.

Defining Attributes of Pain

Defining features involves listing characteristics associated with pain. According to Sabei and Lasater (2016), one of the defining attributes of pain is personal experience. Another feature is unpleasant and distressful experiences emerging from physical sensation as well as developing both negative and positive meanings for a person. Another characteristic is a feeling of consciousness and behavioral factors. Another one is Physiological and psychological reactions to stimuli. Another attribute is functions of pain including warning and protective signs. The last feature is pain responses influenced by environment, culture, personality, social and culture

Antecedence

Heslop and Lu (2014) defined antecedents as the events or incidents that occur before the current concept. Antecedents associated with pain include personal, environmental and cultural values. These antecedents are interconnected. From a nursing perspective, Mollon (2014) discovered that trauma is one of the events that results in an individual's feeling of pain. Research conducted by Parsons, Emir, and Clair (2015) to identify the prevalence of chronic pain patients suffering from trauma reported that more than 80% of trauma patients were experiencing chronic pain.

Consequences

According to Sabei and Lasate (2016), consequences refer to the events or incidences that occur due to a concept. The Consequences of pain are based on reaction to pain and personal interpretation of pain. One of the effects of pain is poor health. Wilson (2014) found out that factors that affect an individual's health include stress, depression, and discomfort. A study conducted by Mollon (2014) discovered a linear relationship between the severity of chronic pain and its impact on a person's health after undergoing traumatic suffering. Heslop and Lu (2014) concluded that the severity of chronic pain was inversely proportional to the health of an individual. That is the more the severity of the pain, the less the quality of health.

Empirical Referent

The empirical referent is the last step in concept analysis. It presents the approaches used to measure the concept and the expectation of a phenomenon. In other words, the empirical referent is the event that demonstrates the presence of the concept. From the concept analysis of pain, Larner (2014)discovered that the critical characteristics are abstract. As such, the essential referent determines how these features exist in the real world. Since pain is an uncomfortable unpleasant and distressful experience, the verbalizations of the patients depend on the indicators of pain. Measuring pain needs to include the location, quality, and intensity of pain. Behavioral cues such as crying, changes in muscle tone and restlessness may be used to evaluate pain in patients. Parsons, Emir, and Clair (2015) stated that the McGill Pain questionnaire is one of the standard tools used to assess patients' pain. This tool has primary measures of pain. They include the pain rating index, present pain intensity and the number of words selected.

Constructing a Model Case

A model case includes all the characteristics of the concept and should be a definitive example. For instance, Mr. Smith is a 35-year-old single Costa Rican male who was diagnosed with colon cancer and is supposed to go for surgery to remove the tumor. While hospitalized, he is assigned a nursing student, Catherine who is taking care of him. Catherine goes to Mr. Smith's bedside and finds him lying on his right side with his knees bent. He is also holding his arms near his chest. Smith looks tired, and his eyebrows appear furrowed. Catherine engages him in a conversation, but he closes his eyes. However, he is cooperative. Smith's heart rate and blood pressure have slightly increased. He tells Catherine that he is in pain and points to the left side of the abdomen. Catherine gives him some medication to relieve pain. After some time, Smith narrates to Catherine that a few years ago, he had abdominal pain and bloody stool and this made him suspect that he could be developing cancer. He, therefore, went to the hospital and was diagnosed with colon cancer. Smith then tells Catherine about his family history of cancer. His father died of lung cancer whereas his mother died of Leukemia. He ends up by stating that had he gotten married, he would have been a burden to his family.

Analysis

This case explores all the attributes of Pain. Mr. Smith complained about having pain and showed physical evidence through facial expression and behavior. Therefore, he showed his pain as a distressful, unpleasant, and uncomfortable experience through verbal and non-verbal reactions. There is also the presence of avoidance learning response. The fact that Smith has colon cancer that requires surgery is evidence of tissue damage. Having experienced abdominal pain and bloody stool a few years ago, he received warning signs of cancer, and this drove him to the hospital. Smith's complaints about family history are a demonstration of the cultural and social dimensions of pain.

Conclusion

Overall, this piece has demonstrated that pain can be defined in numerous ways depending on the perspective of a person. It has also shown that pain has different methods of evaluating as well as various approaches to its treatment. One of the defining attributes of pain is personal experience. Another feature is unpleasant and distressful experiences emerging from physical sensation as well as developing both negative and positive meanings for a person. Another characteristic is a feeling of consciousness and behavioral factors. Another one is Physiological and psychological reactions to stimuli. Another attribute is functions of pain including warning and protective signs. The last feature is pain responses influenced by environment, culture, personality, social and culture. Therefore, the paper has created a deeper understanding of the definition and concept of pain

References

Heslop, L., & Lu, S. (2014). Nursingsensitive indicators: a concept analysis. Journal of advanced nursing, 70 (1), 2469-2482.

Larner, D. (2014). Chronic pain transition: A concept analysis. Pain Management Nursing , 15 (3), 707-717.

Mollon, D. (2014). Feeling safe during an inpatient hospitalization: a concept analysis. Journal of advanced nursing, 70 (8), 1727-1737.

Parsons, B., Emir, B., & Clair, A. (2015). Temporal analysis of pain responders and common adverse events: when do these first appear following treatment with pregabalin. Journal of pain research, 8 (1), 303.

Sabei, S. D., & Lasater, K. (2016). Simulation debriefing for clinical judgment development: A concept analysis. Nurse Education Today, 45 (1), 42-47.

White, L. (2014). Mindfulness in nursing: An evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70 (2), 282-294.

Wilson, M. (2014). Integrating the concept of pain interference into pain management. Pain Management Nursing, 15 (2), 499-505.