Palliative care
nursing is the comprehensive and compassionate care of individuals and families who are living with or dying from an incurable, progressive illness or condition. Palliative care
and hospice begins with the diagnosis of such a life-limiting condition and follows the patient and family through curative modalities, chronicity, and end-of-life care. Pain management is a vital component of nursing care that presents ever evolving challenges. Nurses must keep up to date with emerging trends in order to
ensure use of good pain management techniques, compliance with regulations governing handling and use of controlled substances,
and be able to effectively assess, monitor and document pain management strategies and outcomes. The nursing continuing education courses and web site resources we've compiled below will help practicing nurses learn more about Palliative Care, Hospice, and the latest in Pain Management trends and knowledge
in order to improve patient care and protect your practice.
Sites, Articles & Resources:
This
list of resources is highly selective and does not include every
web site related to these topics. If you would like to add a
resource click here.
Articles on US Pain Policy-Find
out the latest chronic pain treatment
policies in the various states, concerns about addictions,
recent developments
in pain management and regulation.
American
Academy of Pain Management- Site offers many programs,
services, publications, and continuing ed courses to assist
you in helping your patients
suffering from pain.
American
Back Society- Resources provide the health care
community access
to the most current information available on
interdisciplinary spinal care.
American
Headache Society-AHS brings together physicians and
other health
providers from various fields and specialties to share
concepts and developments
about headache and related conditions.
American
Chronic Pain Association-A nonprofit organization that
supports
self-help groups which teach positive ways to deal with
chronic pain.
Back Pain- So Your Lower Back Hurts?-
Low back pain is one of the most common ailments people suffer from and approximately 8 out of 10 people will deal with back pain at some point...this
article tells you how to eliminate back pain.
Conquering
Pain-(Article)-This article talks about new discoveries
and treatments offering hope in chronic pain management.
Depression and Back Pain-It is well documented that physical pain can lead to feelings of depression, but a new study from the University of Alberta shows the reverse can be true, as well.
DyingWell.org-Resources
for people facing life-limiting illness, their families, and
their professional caregivers
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross-Background and resources on Grief and Bereavement as well as information about her newest work by the author of
"On Death and Dying". Informative resource for professionals, hospice organizations, and caregivers.
Emerging Solutions in Pain-Provides a diverse collection of practical tools, resources and programs, reflecting the diversity of challenges and issues that pain management clinicians face on a daily basis.
These resources and tools will help improve patient care and protect the practice of nurses and other clinicians actively involved in pain management.
Growthhouse-Resources
for bereavement and grief, death and dying, death with
dignity, euthanasia, hospice, palliative care, suicide,
terminal illness, AIDS,
and related topics.
Institute For The Study and
Treatment Of Pain-Interesting medical illustrations,
this site advocates an alternative method of treating soft tissue
injury pain using intramuscular stimulation
InfoMin Chronic Pain Resources-Extensive
information for patients, family members, and health care
providers. A must bookmark site.
Migraine Information
Center-Resources for patients & professionals,
latest articles, treatment guidelines & resources, how
to diagnose migraines, treat migraines in the ER & lots
more- a must visit site.
National Foundation for the
Treatment of Pain-Provides support for patients who are
suffering from intractable pain, their families, friends and
the physicians who treat them. also a resource for medical
professionals and attorneys concerned with legal issues
regarding the legitimate treatment of pain
Pain.Com-Online pain
journal, free CME & nursing CEU's, articles, archives,
and the most extensive resources about pain management I've
found- a must visit site.
PainConsultants UK- Experts in acute and chronic pain management, education and research. We are able to provide either off-the-shelf or bespoke training courses to health care professionals.
Pallative Care Nursing Net- nurses may share information with
other professionals about initiatives related to improving patient care at the end of life.
Project
on Death in America- Seeks to transform the culture and
experience of dying and bereavement through initiatives in
research, scholarship, the humanities, and the arts, and to
foster innovations in the provision of care, public
education, professional education, and public policy.
Randall Chronic Pain Scale-What
makes this scale unique is that it allows you to create a
personal scale using your own words to describe how your
pain feels to you and how well (or not) you are able to
function at each of the levels. Printable- Customize it- a wonderful tool for patients.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association-Site is meant
to increase your knowledge and awareness of RSD. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and
management of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome is available in PDF format for free download here.
Society for
Pain Practice Management- Web Site offers information
pertinent to the specialty of pain management--Diagnosis and
treatment information, updates on billing and
legislative news items, book reviews, online
meeting registration
The Faces Of Pain-A need to
read article by by Renée Steele Rosomoff MBA, RN, CRRN, CRC,
CDMS that will help you get a true perspective on the scope
of the problem and the suffering.
The Dark Side Of Pain- The
consequences of persistent intractable pain can be
cruel.Those of us who treat people in pain would like to
think that we have come a long way. We now pride ourselves
on treating the whole person. Read this thought provoking
article by Renée Rosomoff MBA, RN, CRRN...
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Association-Help and Support for Trigeminal Neuralgia
Patients and other Face Pain Patients, Care Givers and
Medical Professionals.
Thoughts On Chronic Pain-A
must visit resource- both patients, families &
professionals can gain a lot of insight from this site that
talks about chronic pain, dealing with doctors etc.
Treatment Options For Chronic
Pain- Information from the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, covers everything from
acupuncture through psychotherapy.
Virtual Anaesthesia Textbook-Postoperative
Pain Management Information-Methods of achieving pain relief
are described very well for professional & patient.
(Framed-use links on left)
Who'll Stop The Pain-Torture,
despair, agony, and death are the symptoms of "opiophobia,"
a well-documented medical syndrome fed by fear,
superstition, and the war on drugs. Doctors suffer the
syndrome. Patients suffer the consequences.
Palliative Care, Pain Management & Hospice Nursing
Provides a diverse collection of practical tools, resources and programs, reflecting the diversity of challenges and issues that pain management clinicians face on a daily basis.
These resources and tools will help improve patient care and protect the practice of nurses and other clinicians actively involved in pain management.
