Question

Recall a patient, with whom you interacted, who demonstrated a pain response that seemed to be predominantly culturally based, spiritually based or influenced by developmental level. Reflect on the reactions of other healthcare workers when the behavioral response to pain is atypical. Share what was meaningful and impacted you and your practice.  

Answer 1

Cultural and spiritual beliefs show more significance in a patient going through a lot of painThe hope on a higher being comforts people and plays a very important factor when treating a patient going through a life threatning condition . It gives the patient hope and peace about death an dnot be so attached to their present lifeSo in situations like these the reacction of people around them plays a very crucial and vital role.Giving attention to these religious processes may improve treatment outcomes.The frequency and type of religious and nonreligious coping strategies used by elderly individuals to manage chronic pain, and ascertained if there were differences in the use of religious and nonreligious coping across gender and race. Elderly individuals report using a repertoire of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies to manage chronic pain. Older women and elderly individuals of minority racial background use religious coping strategies to manage their pain

The most important role of ta nurse is to help their patients in the most appropriate and effective way. They should inquire about patients’ cultural backgrounds and types of medication preferred in their religious and spiritual systems. In addition, when assessing and treating patients with pain, nurses may benefit from patients’ descriptions of how they use spiritual and religious resources to cope with pain. Nurses need to be more aware of the importance of spirituality and religion in helping and supporting people having pain

Once we nurses learn from patients about their spiritual or religious nature that might be crucial for their personal health care, they should, just as for any physical or psychosocial symptom, develop a pain treatment plan that reflects appropriate goals of care and treatment. As patients’ needs drive the goals of care, it is important that both health professionals and their patients focus on those goals, especially when disagreements between the patient and health professionals are based on conflicts between spiritual and religious and medical needs.