| Name: |
J.F.M. (Jacqueline) van Dijk, RN, Msc |
| Function: |
PhD student and Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| Department: |
Anesthesiology |
| Division: |
Division of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine |
| E-mail address: |
J.F.M.vanDijk@umcutrecht.nl |
| Phone number: |
+31 (0) 88 75 59677 |
| Fax number: |
+31 (0) 30 254 1828 |
| Visiting address: |
UMC Utrecht
Heidelberglaan 100
3584 CX Utrecht
The Netherlands |
| Correspondence: |
UMC Utrecht
P.O. Box 85500
Mail stop Q04.2.313
3508 GA Utrecht
The Netherlands |
About
Jacqueline van Dijk works as a pain nurse and PhD student at the anaesthesiology department of the university medical centre in Utrecht. Her PhD project concerns postoperative pain, in particular the assessment of pain by patients and professionals.
In a large study (IMPACT) surgical patients were asked to give their pain scores on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and on the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) at 24 hours after surgery. The VRS comprised five words: no pain, little pain, it’s painful but bearable, considerable pain and terrible pain. Also 303 experts (anaesthesiologists, nurses of the Acute Pain Service (APS), Post Anaesthesia Care (PACU) nurses and ward nurses) were asked to relate the scores of the NRS to the descriptions of the VRS. No exact agreement exists on the numeric ratings of bearable pain between patients and experts and a risk of overtreatment might arise when health care providers rigidly follow guidelines for postoperative pain treatment.
Furthermore, we want to develop and test an education film about pain assessment and pain treatment in a Randomized Controlled Trial.
In a third study the pain score of the patient will be related to the assessment the nurse made of the patient’s pain on the PACU, both on the NRS. These pain scores are relevant for the pain treatment given by the nurse on the PACU.