A new Behavior Pain Assessment Tool (BPAT) provides a simple way to evaluate pain in critically ill patients—including those who aren't able to communicate their pain verbally, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
A new Behavior Pain Assessment Tool (BPAT) provides a simple way to evaluate pain in critically ill patients—including those who aren't able to communicate their pain verbally, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
Based on eight observable pain behaviors, the BPAT is particularly useful in identifying patients experiencing severe pain during procedures in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to the report by Céline Gélinas, RN, PhD, of McGill University, Montreal, and colleagues.
Observing Behaviors Identifies ICU Patients in Severe Pain
The researchers evaluated the BPAT’s ability to assess procedure-related pain in critically ill adults. Many ICU patients are unable to communicate their pain because their clinical condition, altered level of consciousness, or mechanical ventilation and sedation prevents them from doing so. "Since none of those conditions precludes the perception of pain, it is essential that clinicians have valid and reliable pain assessment methods," Dr. Gélinas and coauthors write.
Read more at Wolters Kluwer Health
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