Pain Management and Addiction for New Health Psychologists Analytical Essay by Penpal38

An overview of chronic non-malignant pain treatment with methadone and buprenorphine.
# 147691 | 3,837 words | 26 sources | APA | 2011 | US
Published on Jun 15, 2011 in Medical and Health (Nursing) , Medical and Health (Drugs) , Psychology (Alcohol and Drugs)


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Description:

This paper discusses the difficulties facing health care providers as they treat patients with chronic pain and pre-existing addictions. The paper suggests that physicians avoid prescribing opoids because of their addictive properties in spite of the fact that these drugs would provide pain relief. Methadone and buprenorphine treatments for addictions and pain relief are also discussed. The paper concludes by stressing that understanding the dynamics of addiction and chronic pain will allow medical professionals to offer their patients better care and support.

Outline
The Scope of the Problem
JCAHO Regulations and Patient Rights
Malignant vs. Non-Malignant Pain: Differences in Issuing Opioids
Malignant Pain
Non-Malignant Pain
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Factors That Influence the Pain Experience
Specificity Theory
Gate Control Theory of Pain
Cancer
Accident Injuries
Maintaining a Pain Journal
The Prescribing Physician
Methadone Treatments
Methadone Addiction: Scope and Scale
Buprenorphine
New Hope for Pain Management with Addictions?
Discussion

From the Paper:

"Pain management for patients with addiction problems has been quite challenging for specialists to treat. Typically, the stigma attached to addictions has led to an under-management of pain symptoms leaving the prescribing physician in an awkward position. Generally, what transpires between the physician and patient is a push-pull of treatment options. The physician does not want to add to the addiction problem, or create a new addiction. Similarly, physicians are obligated to treat pain symptoms reported by patients- or they run the risk of being cited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) (Green & Mc Phail-Pruitt, 2004: JCAHO, 2009). This paper aims to explore and demystify the pain management process by addressing complications created by pre-existing addiction problems and the patient. New hope for reducing opioid addiction problems with the use of buprenorphine rather than methodone will also be discussed.
"Life can become extremely trying and difficult for pain sufferers (Passik & Kirsh, 2008). The primary problem that constantly requires attention is maintaining the optimum level of pain medication in order to prevent flare-ups and the rebound effect. Once a pain medication has had the opportunity to wear off, the problem is that pain will return with greater intensity, and more medication is required to achieve results (Vedhara & Irwin, 2005)."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Alford, D., Compton, P., & Samet, J. (2006). Acute pain management for patients receiving maintenance methadone or buprenorphine therapy. Annals of Internal Medicine, 144, 127-134.
  • Anderson, J., & Walker, L. (2002). Psychosocial factors and cancer progression: Involvement of behavioral pathways. In Lewis, C., O'Brien, R., Barraclough, J. (Eds.). The psychoneuroimmunology of cancer (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
  • Blondell, R., & Ashrafioun, L. (2008). Treating opioid dependency and coexistent chronic nonmalignant pain. American Family Physician, 10, 1132-1134.
  • Brannon, L., & Feist, J. (2007). Health psychology: An introduction to behavior and health (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

Cite this Analytical Essay:

APA Format

Pain Management and Addiction for New Health Psychologists (2011, June 15) Retrieved September 22, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/pain-management-and-addiction-for-new-health-psychologists-147691/

MLA Format

"Pain Management and Addiction for New Health Psychologists" 15 June 2011. Web. 22 September. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/pain-management-and-addiction-for-new-health-psychologists-147691/>

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