Pain and Symptom Management and Care of the Actively Dying Patient
Sets out how the Agency provides effective palliation and management of the terminal illness and related conditions: assessing pain and other symptoms with standard tools, planning and treating them, reassessing after each intervention, responding to symptom crises day and night, using short-term inpatient care when symptoms cannot be managed at home, caring for the actively dying patient and family, and the safeguards for palliative sedation.
About this policy
- Policy number
- OH-HSP-PAIN-01
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- OAC 3701-19-17(B)
- Library
- Ohio hospice · 60 policies
- Category
- Hospice care
- Sections
- 19
In short
- Ask about pain and other symptoms at every visit and score them with the right scale, such as PAINAD for patients who cannot talk.
- Check again after every as-needed dose, at the time the medicine should be working.
- If comfort is not reached after two as-needed doses in a row, call the physician for new orders.
- Families can call any time. For a symptom crisis, give advice at once and visit if relief does not come quickly.
- Aides and volunteers: tell the nurse the same day if a patient seems to be in pain, and at once if the distress is severe.
What's inside
19 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (OAC 3701-19-17(B))
- 5. Assessing Pain and Symptoms
- 6. Planning Care
- 7. Treating and Reassessing
- 8. Symptom Crises, Day and Night
- 9. Short-Term Inpatient Care for Pain and Symptom Control
- 10. Care of the Actively Dying Patient and Family
- 11. Palliative Sedation
- 12. Responsibilities
- 13. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 14. Staff Training
- 15. References
- 16. Related Policies and Forms
- 17. Approval
- 18. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- How do you assess pain in a patient who cannot tell you about it?
- Show me the pain and symptom interventions on this patient's plan of care and the reassessment after the last as-needed dose.
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