Patient Education for

Better Pain Management

Aurora Davis, RN, BSN, BA, OCN
Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant

Aurora.Davis@uchealth.org


How are we doing managing pain?
The Oncology/BMT Unit is not currently
meeting its combined HCAPS goal: 74.3% of
patients report pain is always well controlled
and that staff always do everything to help.
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Jan-14
Oncology Pain HCAPS FY2014
Pain well controlled
Staff do everything to help with pain
Pain Management
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Jan-14
BMT Pain HCAPS FY2014
Pain well controlled
Staff do everything to help with pain
Pain Management
How are we doing managing pain?
UCH as a whole is not currently meeting its
combined HCAPS goal: 77% of patients report
pain is always well controlled and that staff
always do everything to help.
What does the literature show?
Lack of education can be a barrier to proper
pain management.
1,2
Proper patient education significantly increases
overall patient satisfaction regarding pain
management.
1,2
Patient education reduces barriers to adherence,
which improves outcomes.
1,2
Do we educate patients now?
It is an expectation of nursing staff that patients
are educated regarding pain control every shift.
However, adherence to documentation of
patient education in EPIC is poor.
Currently no admission handouts regarding pain
are being distributed to patients on the
Oncology/BMT unit.
What do our patients say?
A study is currently underway at UCH regarding
patients pain experiences.
Initial data (N=106) shows that 43% of study
participants report they did not receive ANY
information about pain treatment options.
3
New Pain Teaching Tool
Approved by Pain
Committee, Acute Pain
Service, and Patient
Education Committee.
To be translated into Spanish
and printed on bright
orange paper.
Discusses pain scale,
alternative therapies,
comfort-function goal, and
emphasizes a team approach
to pain management.

How should it be presented?
Single page that can be included in Admission
Packets when patient arrives on an inpatient
unit.
Should not be simply handed to a patient, but
instead used to open a dialogue regarding a
patients overall Pain Management Plan,
including a Comfort-Function Goal.
Use in conjunction with patients white board.
A Tip Sheet is available.
Recommendation for Roll Out
Present at staff meetings via a slideshow.
Send out the Pain Education Tool with teaching
via email.
Educate PSCs: place the tool in patients
admission packet, have hard copies available.
Available through Documents on Demand.
PED05219
Questions? Feedback?
References
1. Chapman, S. (2012). Cancer pain part 2: assessment and management.
Nursing Standard, 26(48), 44-49. (LOE 8)
2. Chou, P. & C. Lin. (2011). A pain education programme to improve patient
satisfaction with cancer pain management: a randomised control trial.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20, 1858-1869. (LOE 2).
3. Fink, R & B. Krumbach. (2013). The Patients Pain Experience at UCH and
Psychometric Validation of the Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome
Questionnaire [PowerPoint Slides]. (LOE 6).