Chosen POI
The population of interest selected for this paper includes patients on chronic pain management. Such patients represent a significant population whose issues are numerous and complex. In particular, in the sphere of caring and treatments for patients with chronic pain, there are several ever-present pressing issues such as the addiction to pain medications, tolerance towards painkillers, regulations of administration of medications for pain management, and the level of care patients with chronic pain receive (Debono, Hoeksema, & Hobbs, 2013). These issues affect both patients who suffer from pain and the members of the medical staff who care for them. For instance, practitioners are to adhere to a wide range of changing rules and policies that regulate the administration and prescription of pain management medications (Thornton, 2011). At the same time, they need to put the well-being of their patients first.
On a global scale, the percentage of people suffering from chronic pain is estimated as 20 percent (Goldberg & McGee, 2011). Also, a many as 10 percent of the global population are newly diagnosed with this condition annually (Goldberg & McGee, 2011). This statistic makes the management of chronic pain a global concern. Moreover, pain is associated with an increased risk of mental problems as well as a variety of harmful habits and behaviors such as alcohol abuse, smoking, and drug addiction.
Research Planning
To research this population of interest and its most pressing issues, it is necessary to create a research plan. First of all, it is important to contact professionals who work with patients affected by chronic pain and the practitioners responsible for the planning and administration of chronic pain management treatments. They may help investigate this problem more thoroughly. If I was in charge of managing this POI at a facility, I would survey the nursing staff working with chronic pain patients and collect information about the most common problems, challenges, and concerns in this group. Also, I would consult policy-makers involved in the creation of regulations of chronic pain management rules and guidelines or experts knowledgeable in this sphere. Additionally, I would use PubMed and CINAHL databases to find current research studies on the topic in question. Specifically, to find relevant literature I would use appropriate keywords such as “chronic pain management”, “pain management challenges”, and “chronic pain management issues in nursing care”. I would choose only the studies published within the last five years to access the most recent findings.
Theory and Knowledge
As for the theory and knowledge that informed my planned course of action and choice of the POI, there were several different courses. Specifically, I took a general education course in Ethics that helped me evaluate the complexity of the problem of pain management in healthcare and potential ethical dilemmas that could occur. Moreover, when it comes to my professional knowledge, I used my training in research and data collection to plan for the literature search and survey activities mentioned previously. In addition, my knowledge regarding the creation of policies and the heavy presence of legislative control in healthcare informed my ideas about the need for exploration of the principles that driver policy-making in pain management. Finally, my previous practical experiences of working with patients suffering from chronic pain made me certain that this population of interest requires special attention due to the multifaceted nature of the issues related to pain management treatments.
References
Debono, D., Hoeksema, L., & Hobbs, R. (2013). Caring for patients with chronic pain: Pearls and pitfalls. Evidence-Based Clinical Review, 113(8), 620-627.
Goldberg, D. S., & McGee, S. J. (2011). Pain as a global public health priority. BMC Public Health, 11, 770.
Thornton, R. G. (2011). Considerations in treating patients with chronic pain. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 24(3), 262–265.