What is pain?
Pain is not a simple sensation, but a complex physiological and emotional experience.
Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he says it does.
In palliative care, the effective management of pain requires:
- Thorough assessment
- A consideration of the patient’s ideas, beliefs, concerns and expectations
- Negotiation of the management plan with the patient at all stages
- A multidisciplinary perspective
- A holistic approach, incorporating physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects
- Use of drugs, physical and psychological treatments, complementary therapies and spiritual support
The concept of ‘total pain’ encompasses social, spiritual and emotional components, as well as physical, as illustrated in the box below.
The concept of total pain
Physical influences
- Symptoms or debility
- Pathology
- Side-effects of treatment
- Cancer/non-cancer
Social influences
- Friends who do not visit
- Financial worries
- Loss of social position
- Loss of job prestige and
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