As people are living longer there is a new effort to assess pain in older adults. Nurse practitioner Anna R DuPen and her colleagues Anita M Jablonski, Phd, RN and Mary Ersek, PhD, Rn, FAAN reported on the idea of using algorithms to manage pain in older adults. Chronic illnesses and the effect on quality of life are of particular concern to many medical professionals. As nurse practitioner programs become more prevalent, these providers will be able to help with clinical decision making and nursing judgment. Anna DuPen and her associates noted that patients with chronic pain are more prone to falls and other injuries.
Using a pain assessment algorithm is a step by step flow chart to try and accurately gauge a patient’s pain. Since the nurse or nurse practitioner is one of the first professionals to interact with a patient, training in the use of this type of assessment will be essential. Nurse practitioner programs online can help provide the education needed to ensure nurses understand and are prepared to use the available information. The obvious advantages to this process are nurses are able to streamline the decision making process. As Anita Jablonski explains in detail novice nurses who may not have as much experience will benefit from the process and advance their skills more quickly.
Although an algorithm is not practical in all situations the research provides that it is a good baseline. The nurse or nurse practitioner will need to take into consideration all of the variables and provide the best evaluation possible. Obviously not all patient’s pain is the same, but an algorithm will help hasten the initial decision making process.
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As illustrated by this report, you could see that having gone through a nurse practitioner program can already prepare you for research studies such as this one. So if you really want to contribute to the advancement of health and medicine, then be sure to take a look at different nurse practitioner programs available now.
I think that this report summarizes the expanding roles of nurses and nurse practitioners in the field of healthcare. You are no longer expected to just assist doctors in their duties, but you also look into and participate in studies for the furtherment of health care. And this is why I think that the additional knowledge you get in nurse practitioner programs are so valuable, because it helps you get the skills you need to perform these additional duties.
Nurse practitioner programs are really becoming more prevalent as you have pointed out here. It is a testament to its popularity among nurses and those who are looking for a career change. Not to mention that the further study could help you get a better paying job and a more rewarding one.
A nurse practitioner is in the unique position to know first hand how a patient feels right from the moment that he or she steps into the emergency room or the hospital. As such, they can provide really valuable data that are instrumental to studies like this one. It surely would help nurses to have further education by getting into a nurse practitioner program so that they could make a difference.