Sample Literature Review For Nursing Students printable pdf download

Sample Literature Review

For Nursing Students

Short, R. (2008). Assessing pain. Nursing Older People, 20(4), 16-18. Retrieved from

Citation

Academic Search Premier database.

Purpose: The article urges nurses to make the national guideline, The Assessment of Pain

Purpose

in Older People, part of their personal practice and carry with them the simple tools to

evaluate pain.

Summary: The guideline aids the assessment of pain in older people whether they can

Summary

communicate with their caregivers or not. The guide addresses several areas including 1;

Pain awareness – 45 – 83% of patients have pain but may be unable or reluctant to report

it. 2) Pain inquiry – asking the patient if they are sore, or aching, or hurting anywhere, 3)

Pain location – ask the patient to point to the area affected by pain; 4) Pain intensity --

numerical rated scale or verbal descriptors are easily accepted by adults. Pain intensity is

crucial to determine treatment success or failure; 5) Communication – hearing or sight

problems may require special considerations in communication. People with

communication problems need additional help through adapted tools and help from

skilled professionals, such as speech therapists. When severe cognitive impairment is

present pain behaviors (such as body movements, facial expressions, and vocalizations)

can be specific to a patient. Personal experience by caregivers and family members help

to interpret the meaning of these behaviors.

Conclusion: Nurses who work with the elderly need to download and read specific

Conclusion

guidelines, extract some of the tools, keep them for daily use and as a reminder of good

practice for themselves. These guidelines should be kept with the nurse, not tacked on a

wall in the nurse’s lounge.

Feelings & Thoughts: The main goal in geriatric nursing is to make the client comfortable

Feelings

and assure them that their comfort is important. Proper pain assessment and the

information gathered are crucial to effective treatment. Two barriers exist in the message

getting through – nurse awareness and staff time to implement it.

Agree/Disagree: I agree that pain assessment is important to making patients

Agree

comfortable and to create a baseline from which to test the effectiveness of treatment. I

learned what assessment guidelines and techniques should be used in nursing practice

with elderly patients.

Was it Worthwhile: The article contained worthwhile, practical information that would

Worth

be useful on a daily basis in working with elderly patients.

Usefulness

Information Usefulness to me: the article is very useful in my studies and career path.

Recommendations to others: this article should be required reading for every nurse in

Recommendations

geriatric care.

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Sample Literature Review For Nursing Students

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