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Pain Management

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Burn Care for General Surgeons and General Practitioners

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Abstract

The burn injured patient experiences pain and discomfort that is more complex than any other form of trauma. As such, providers must have a working knowledge of the types of pain experienced during the acute and chronic phases of care. First, providers should develop a good understanding of the means/tools to assess pain management and guide therapy. Effective pain management is a necessary component to optimize patient participation and to mitigate chronic psychological effects that result from poor pain management. The most successful approach is multimodal—employing both medications and non-pharmacologic approaches to improve patient comfort. The practitioner must also have a flexible approach with frequent reassessment throughout the patient’s course. Ultimately, burn care is complex and may entail prolonged care and recovery. When pain management exceeds the resources of a particular care setting, transferring the patient to a specialized burn center will help achieve optimal care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Maine Medical Center, Tufts University, Portland, ME, USA

    Damien Wilson Carter M.D.

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Washington Regional Burn Center, Harborview Medical Center University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA

    Gretchen J. Carrougher R.N., M.N. & Tam N. Pham M.D., F.A.C.S.

Authors
  1. Damien Wilson Carter M.D.
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  2. Gretchen J. Carrougher R.N., M.N.
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  3. Tam N. Pham M.D., F.A.C.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tam N. Pham M.D., F.A.C.S. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Univ. of California, Davis Med. Center, Shriners Hosp for Children N California, Sacramento, California, USA

    David G. Greenhalgh

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Carter, D.W., Carrougher, G.J., Pham, T.N. (2016). Pain Management. In: Greenhalgh, D. (eds) Burn Care for General Surgeons and General Practitioners . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29161-1_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29161-1_19

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29159-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29161-1

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