Managing Pain During Sickle Cell Crisis - Nursing Term Paper Example

Most young people suffering from the sickle cell disease (SCD) are frequently stigmatized when they seek medication. Stigmatization affects the social well-being and psychology of the patient especially during pediatric-adult care transition (Pillitteri, 2014). Individual counseling for the sickle cell patient is a significant intervention that will greatly minimize health-related stigmatization and enhance the pain management experience. According to Jenerette & Brewer (2014), providing counseling to patients before and during treatment process will reduce the number of complications and the cases of sickle cells crisis in the patient. The intervention will also ensure cue recognition is achieved during the crisis and the patient acquires knowledge regarding coping behavior and social support to minimize stigmatization. As a result, the patient will gain communication skills that are vital in timely treatment and reducing stigma while accessing the health care system (Jenerette, Brewer & Ataga, 2014).

Nonetheless, the individual counseling intervention can also be applied to the interprofessional team. Counselling services aim at managing health care issues that affect the patients and other medical facility users. For instance, the professional therapists should not only provide cognitive skills and improve lives of patients but should also counsel the junior staff that are responsible for patient care. Sickle cell patients require nurses who are impartial, having the ability to understand their situation clearly, and being capable of providing education and psychotherapy when needed (Ladwig, Ackley & Makic, 2017). Therefore, the nurses can undergo individual counseling where they are presented with required information and assistance to facilitate their operations. Wilson and Nelson (2015) argued that nursing knowledge is vital in managing SCD pain and subsequently reducing stigma. However, these cannot be achieved if the nurses cannot undergo counseling and training from medical professionals. Patient and medical staff counseling is essential in managing the sickle cell disease (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2016).

References

Burchum, J. & Rosenthal, L. (2016). Lehnes pharmacology for nursing care (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Jenerette, C. M., Brewer, C. A., & Ataga, K. I. (2014). Care seeking for pain in young adults with sickle cell disease. Pain Management Nursing, 15(1), 324-330. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2012.10.007.

Ladwig, G., Ackley, B., & Makic, M. (2017). Mosbys guide to nursing diagnosis (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Pillitteri, A. (2014). Maternal and child health nursing: Care of the childbearing and childrearing family (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Wilson, B. H., & Nelson, J. (2015). Sickle cell disease pain management in adolescents: A literature review. Pain Management Nursing, 16, 146-151. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2014.05.015