Pain in Critical Care Setting

Overview

Pain is a major public health issue throughout the world and represents a major clinical, social, and economic problem. The inability of intensive-care unit (ICU) patients to report pain because of mechanical ventilation, concomitant use of sedatives, or as a consequence of loss of consciousness should not preclude pain control. Acute pain has emerged as a leading stressor for ICU patients.
Managing pain in ICUs may seem daunting due to the patients’ serious and often unstable health status, healthcare providers’ lack of awareness regarding pain’s impact on overall health status, coupled with the physical care demands within the critical care environment