Effective management of acute and chronic pain is an important aspect of nursing practice. Relieving patients' pain requires nurses to have an understanding of the latest evidence-based approaches, which will enable them to assess pain, implement appropriate management strategies and monitor their effectiveness. This article outlines the developments in evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain, including migraine, and in the use of analgesics such as opioids. It also discusses pain management in specific groups such as children and young people, and older people.
Keywords: acute pain; chronic pain; headache; migraine; neuropathic pain; nociceptive pain; pain; pain control; pain management.
© 2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.