Assessment and management of acute and chronic pain

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with real or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of damage”.

Pain arises from pathological conditions, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, or infections, and leads to a state of stress that results in a decline in quality of life with consequences that may include hospital readmissions, insomnia, loss of independence, cognitive deterioration, sensory and language impairments, mobility difficulties, anxiety, reduced social interactions, and medication use with associated adverse effects

In addition to pharmacological treatment, psychological support begins with a psychodiagnostic with interview and multidimensional assessment (tests of pain and personality), evaluation of other conditions (such as anxiety, depression,etc), cognitive and sensory-perceptual impairments, and motor skills that may interfere with the ability to communicate or qualify (e.g., dementia),  behavioral disturbances (postural, agitation, or sleep), signs of discomfort observed (body language or facial expressions), the meaning attributed to pain is explored, including fear of pain itself or ideas of catastrophic consequences such as death, the possible expressions of pain through apathy, and most importantly, the reference of the pain mentioned by the patient.

At COINCIDIR, techniques such as:

• Relaxation

• Meditation

• Imagery

• Hypnosis

• Cognitive distraction are used to direct attention to positive stimuli

• Identification, expression of ideas to reconceptualize pain

• Acquisition of self-control skills

• Activity-based program designed to assess levels of resistance.