How to comfort a patient in pain

Pain is subjective; only the one who feels it can tell how bad they are feeling. It is difficult to gauge a person’s discomfort and tell whether they are just acting up or not. A patient in pain may show signs that they have excruciating or mild pain, and that is how doctors assess them and treat the cause to speed up the patient’s recovery. Here are ways to comfort a patient who complains of pain.

Pharmacologic interventions

This method is already a given. Different pain relievers and analgesics are available in the market, and they can both be bought over-the-counter or must have a prescription from a doctor. Pharmacologic interventions are tried-and-tested to work but can also cause other problems with prolonged use.

Nonpharmacologic interventions

These are methods that do not include drugs and medications. Psychological means of comforting a patient in pain may work for one person and fail for the other, but trying these conservative ways will do you no harm, and may even work to your advantage since you wouldn’t have to spend a penny to get them.

Psychological modalities. These include deep breathing exercises, distracting a person and diverting his attention away from the pain, active listening, patient education, and relaxation. These methods do not need any equipment, all they need is the willingness and cooperation of the patient to participate in the activities and the dedication of the health provider in administering the methods.

Physical modalities. A comfortable bed is therapy enough for a patient who is experiencing excruciating pain. Heat and cold compresses can also be used to alleviate a patient’s pain. Correct positioning of the body and the affected body part should also be established to avoid further discomfort. One can also utilize a relaxing massage to decrease the muscle tension the patient is feeling. Moreover, some patient who experiences pain feels that exercise help them relieve the discomfort. Whatever exercise program that would help in reducing the pain can be carefully performed.