7

Managing Pain

My colleague, Jeff, was not allowed to work on the ward while his mother was an in-patient. The first morning, I cared for Jeff's mother. While walking around the ward to assess the patients under my care, I spoke with her and asked her if she had any pain. She responded, ‘No, I am fine’, to which I replied, ‘Well if you have any pain, please let me know and I can give you some painkillers, if you think you need them’. I then left her and spent time with the other patients, but when I left her bed area to answer the phone, I saw her holding her abdomen and grimacing.

I made my way to her bed and asked her how she was feeling. She again replied ‘Fine’, although her body language showed otherwise. I, therefore, commented that I ...

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