Pain: an ambulance perspective

Every ambulance clinician has experience of patient pain. In UK ambulance services, we pride ourselves in treating that pain, but without necessarily truly grasping the underlying principles of it or its devastating effects on the patients’ lives. People with chronic pain deal with their pain differently to those who suffer an acute illness or injury and it is important that our treatment regimens meet the specific needs of all the patients we serve.

Working with our colleagues in the medical profession, we should provide a seamless analgesic armamentarium so that a patient who experiences any type of pain is provided with early relief from that pain. As the paramedic profession grows in maturity, we anticipate that our range of pain relief will grow to accommodate the many and complex needs of the patients within our communities, with the support of evidence-based research.

This book, whilst by no means definitive, is designed to introduce themes and encourage discussion amongst prehospital ambulance staff, thereby keeping pain management in the forefront of our assessment and treatment within the ever-evolving field of prehospital care.

Pain: an ambulance perspective includes:

•An introduction to pain and its pathophysiology •A range of assessment tools for adults and children •Pain relief available to specialist paramedics •Summaries for each chapter