Assessment of Post-Operative Pain in Dementia Patients

Assessment of Post-Operative Pain in Dementia Patients

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion of the application and evaluation of Post-Operative pain management in elderly patients with dementia in a rehabilitation setting.

Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure (C-T-E)

Johnson’s Behavioral System Model is a model of nursing care that supports the development of efficient and effective behavioral functioning in the patient to prevent illness. The patient is recognized as a behavioral system composed of seven behavioral subsystems including affiliative, dependency, ingestive, eliminative, sexual, aggressive, and achievement. The purposeful requirements for these subsystems include protection from noxious influences, provision for a nurturing environment, and stimulation for growth. When any subsystem is imbalanced, it is the nurse’s role to help the patient return to a state of equilibrium.

The framework of this model is utilized throughout hospital settings to form a basis for all nursing decisions in respect to nursing diagnosis, care plans, discharge planning, and quality assurance (Reynolds & Cormack, 1991). This conceptual model focuses on the effects of internal and external environments that contribute to someone’s behavior. Pain (being the internal force) in patients with altered mental status usually manifests externally in non-verbal cues. Nursing as the external force can use tools that focus on the non-verbal cues given by the patients to accurately assess the pain and properly treat it.

Assessing and managing pain is an inevitable part of nursing and the care of patients. Incomplete relief of pain remains prevalent despite years of research due to barriers such as lack of kn...

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