Concept Analysis on Pain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Analysis on Pain - Research Paper Example Pain is the most recurrent diagnosis used in nursing as well as the most common problem through which patients seek help in a clinical setting. Unrelieved pain has an effect on the quality of life of an individual. It affects a person both physically and emotionally, impacts his family as well as the individual and the entire society (Ferrel, 1995). Pain is therefore a vital problem in the health care system. Pain is discussed by four major theories namely; specificity theory, gate control theory, pattern theory and psychological/ behavioral theory. The Gate Control Theory (GCT) is the most commonly used theory in the professional field. The insight of involves three interactive cerebral processes; motivational-effective, sensory discriminative and cognitive-evaluation (Melzack and Wall, 1965). Sensory-discriminative dimension speaks of the nerve transmission to the brain from the periphery through the spinal cord. This neospinothalamic projection system that is found in the brain serves to develop information that is sensory discriminative about duration, location and intensity to the stimulus. The limbic system and the formation of the brain brainstem reticular, which provoke the aversive and motivational drive are referred to as the motivational-affective dimension. Cognitive activities are referred to in the cognitive-evaluation dimension. These cognitive activities include attention , anxiety and cultural values. The cognitive-evaluation dimension places its basis on the analysis of multi-modal information, response strategies and past experience. This dimension also has effects on the other dimensions. According to Melzack and Wall, pain is a continuing process and not a sole sensation and response procedure. Pain includes a series of responses by a system of actions that start with reflex responses and continues with