Patient-controlled Analgesia Compared to Nurse Administered Analgesia

Abstract

In an in-patient care setting, patients rely on their nurses to administer analgesics to manage their pain. When considering the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), the patient is given the control to manage their own pain independently. Healthcare providers should value the ability to give their patients the autonomy to manage their own pain. Patient-controlled analgesia involves a computerized pump that is attached to the patient's intravenous line or connects to a wristband. This machine allows the patient to release pain medicine either intravenously or as pills by pressing a handheld button (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2020). Research supports the use that PCA lowers pain scores in hospitalized patients compared to nurse-administered analgesics (Pizzi et al., 2020). Studies have shown that nearly 70% of hospitalized patients experience some amount of pain which makes managing pain a priority for the nurse (Wu et al., 2020). The purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice review is to monitor patients' pain scores when their analgesic medication is administered by the nurse or by a PCA. The outcome of this brief is to examine the best nursing practice for pain medication administration during hospitalization. The end results of this research may benefit nurses or other healthcare providers to implement the best practice when it comes to managing each patient’s pain.