But I Have Pain NOW

Author

Stefanie Mcfelt-Williams, The University of Texas at El Paso

Date of Award

5-2020

Degree Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing (ND)

Department

Nursing

Chair

Hector R. Morales

Abstract

Pain is described as an unpleasant sensation that can be experienced differently by each individual. Pain can be acute, lasting less than 3 months, or chronic, lasting greater than 6 months. Opioids have traditionally been recommended as a routine method to treat pain. In the United States, we have an epidemic of opioid overuse and deaths. According to Lin et al. (2019), veterans are at a higher risk of opioid overdose than the general public. One alterative way to manage pain is battlefield acupuncture (BFA). The BFA protocol used in the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) was developed by Dr. Richard Niemtzow. Battlefield acupuncture has been used to treat both acute and chronic pain management within the DOD and VA. Working in a VA pain management center that does not prescribe opioids allows for use of complementary alternative methods (CAM) such as BFA to manage pain. When first reviewing my practice, pain was primarily treated above a level of 5 on 0-10 Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) (Appendix 1) or described as intolerable by the veteran. This project examined offering BFA treatment to patients with all levels of pain. The process for this project improvement proved to be challenging, but the results were worth the effort. Making a change in the way I offered treatment to my patients showed me that I am able to effectively implement change

Recommended Citation

Mcfelt-Williams, Stefanie, "But I Have Pain NOW" (2020). Cohort VIII. 6.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/cohort_8/6