Update on pain and palliative care in Chile
Section: TEACHING TO LEARN
Authors
Marcela Ragni Vargas
Position
Licenciada en Enfermería y Diplomada en Pedagogía en Educación Superior y Metodología Syllabus.
Contact email: marcela@rodriguezehijos.cl
Abstract
Pain is the most frequent cause for consultation at a medical office. Pain is often importantly accompanied by multiple pathologies and situations such as: surgery in the form of acute pain, persistence in time transforming such pain into a chronic s ituatiion. This chronicity of pain has physiological and psychological repercussions causing a lot of suffering and a deterioration of quality of life. As part of chronic pain, we find cancer, which in our country is the second cause of death. 80% of these patients in an advanced stage, will require admission into the Palliate Care and Pain Relief program, which was started in Chile in 1995. The aim of this program is to provide total and active healthcare to the patient/family when there is no hope for cure and the treatment consists in providing good quality of life, meeting patient needs and a dignified death. This bibliographic review aims to provide a brief update on pain, pain relief, and palliative care in Chile, through an analysis and reflexion based on the results of protocols and regulatory rules as well as from publications pertaining to the matter subject. In November 2004, the evaluation of pain was started as the fifth vital parameter: what is its significance? What does pain mean for routine nursing practice? Is it part of routine care? The logical aim and the fundamental nursing role is to alleviate pain to achieve patient comfort and improved quality of life of the patient.
Keywords:
relief; painpalliative care
Versión en Español
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