Nursing

As chronic pain has many facets it requires a diverse approach by many skilled health clinicians. The pain management centre has on the team a Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurses.

The nurses have a key role in the clinical co-ordination of all services and triage all patients referred for pain management. They are also involved in the following:

• Teaching on the formal pain education programmes,
  
  
• Providing medication assessment and review,
  
  
• Preparation for interventional procedures, assessing and providing education for treatments such as intrathaecal drug delivery systems and spinal cord stimulation,
  
  
• Treatment with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

People living with chronic pain often have secondary problems that arise because of the unrelenting nature of their pain. They may require education to help them understand the changes and restrictions on their lifestyle imposed by their pain condition.

The nurses in the Pain Management Centre also provide pain assessment, review of medications and plain English explanations of medical terminology that patients are often unecessarily exposed to in their search for pain relief. Many patients need to be heard and given space to explain their journey in the development of chronic pain. Nursing care provides that time to help you in explaining your individual pain journey. The nurses provide a whole person centred approach in dealing with pain and the complications of chronic disease. The nurses in the Pain Management Centre also provide a first point of contact for General Practitioners (GPs) and other specialists about pain management within the hospital and the wider community.