Pain assessment in critical patients using the Behavioral Pain Scale

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The sensation of pain is essential for life, and its assessment in critical non-contacting patients can be performed using validated scales. The Behavioral Pain Scale is a highly accurate tool that has been widely used in this group of patients. This study aimed to describe and characterize pain and the use of analgesia in the emergency or intensive care service. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach with 67 critically ill patients unable to verbalize their pain perception, who were hospitalized in the emergency service or Intensive Care Units of a public hospital in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia from April to July 2017. Clinical and epidemiological data were collected using the medical record and then applied to the Behavioral Pain Scale for pain assessment. RESULTS: There was a predominance of male patients (47/70.1%). Three groups were identified based on the use of sedatives and analgesics: patients taking sedatives and analgesics combined, only analgesia, and those without any sedation or analgesia. We observed ascending Behavioral Pain Scale scores in all groups during tracheal suction, but the same did not occur with the physiological parameters. CONCLUSION: The study proposes the adoption of pain assessment scales in critical patients, such as the Behavioral Pain Scale, as well as the use of protocols for analgesia management, and consequently improve the quality of care and patient's recovery.

Determination of procedural pain intensity among Critically-Ill patients: Using Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS)

“…These results were not surprising to the researcher since the patients were hospitalized in intensive care units commonly diminished consciousness level. 22 G.E. Bachi et al Moreover, the pain medication classification, the results appeared in this way: the majority of the patients' were under mild regimen of narcotics medications was approximately used by about two-fifths (42.2%) of the study subjects.…”

Necessidades e percepções de pacientes em ventilação mecânica: revisão integrativa [Needs and perceptions of patients on mechanical ventilation: an integrative review] [Necesidades y percepciones de los pacientes en ventilación mecánica: revisión integradora]

“…A identificação das necessidades e percepções de pacientes mecanicamente ventilados se torna imprescindível para que a enfermagem possa promover a humanização do ambiente da terapia intensiva, além de propor e implementar medidas necessárias para amenizar tais fatores. Assim, os achados deste estudo corroboram com o conceito de conforto descrito em quatro contextos: físico, psicoespiritual, ambiental e sociocultural [10][11][12]31 .…”

“…Por fim, a identificação das necessidades de conforto promove ainda a humanização da assistência, o que contribui favoravelmente ao prognóstico do doente. Em suma, se os pacientes vão bem, suas famílias vão bem e, consequentemente, a instituição se sai melhor, gerando benefícios mútuos para todos os envolvidos no processo 10,12 .…”

Association between Vital Signs Fluctuations and Pain Severity among Critically-ill Patients

“…The sensation and perception of pain are important for human life and have multidimensional and personal experiences in confronting various stimuli that may produce tissue damage (Alnajar et al, 2021). People who are able to verbalize their pain can be easier to assess accurately, because they are able to depict the pain that they feel (Oliveira et al, .2019). Therefore, the first step for effective pain management is diagnosing the presence and severity of pain among critically-ill patients using valid and reliable scales for the pain assessment.…”