The role of nursing in patient care.
On the occasion of International Nursing Day, which is celebrated on May 12, we have interviewed the nursing team of Instituto Aliaga. Júlia Cebrián Jiménez and Óscar Natoli Vargas have been working in our Pain Clinic since 2018, and they share with us their experience, focusing on the role of nursing in accompanying the patient.
What does being a nurse mean to you?
As Florence Nightingale said, “nursing is an art”. An art that consists of taking comprehensive care of the patient. And like any art, it requires exhaustive and adequate training as well as a great deal of empathy, among other qualities, to know how to adapt to each patient with the ultimate goal of offering quality care.
For us it is much more than a profession, it is a way of life. Because even if we try to put on a shield, it is impossible not to take some of the situations we have experienced home with us.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for having the good fortune to be able to practice such an enriching and rewarding profession.
What qualities should a good nurse possess?
First and foremost, their training must be of high quality and must be updated and expanded throughout their professional career, adapting to new studies and research. On an emotional level, active listening skills, empathy and problem-solving skills are important.
And in our case, we highly value the capacity for closeness and familiarity in dealing with the people who come to our unit.
Let us bear in mind that the management of patients with pain, whether chronic or acute, can sometimes be very complex, and it is very important to have the skills, not only technical, to be able to deal with these situations in the best possible way.
What are the responsibilities you assume in your work?
Our main responsibility is that each patient receives the best care according to his or her needs and qualities.
It is important to keep in mind that patients are in a hostile environment for them, totally unknown and almost always alone, so we become their trusted person for a period of time, establishing a very special bond with them.
In addition, in the field of chronic pain, many patients are recurrent, so a relationship is established beyond the professional, it is a very nice part that we like to highlight of our profession.
Where does your work begin and end in the operating room of the Clínica del Dolor?
Our work in the operating room begins with the reception of the patient. We must bear in mind that going to the operating room is an act that is not pleasant for anyone and that there are people who are terrified of this moment. A simple gesture, such as showing on the day of the consultation the operating room where the patient will be treated, is of great help to those extremely difficult cases who admit that they are not able to enter or that it causes them great anxiety. In this way, on the day they are scheduled for surgery, they do not go to an unfamiliar place, since they have already seen it before.
We also believe that it is very important not only to have a good relationship with patients but also with family members and companions, this helps to create a warm atmosphere, greater trust equals greater collaboration and this can be extrapolated to all areas.
Furthermore, in our unit, as we are very fortunate to have an operating room for the sole and exclusive use for procedures aimed at the treatment of pain, we manage it integrally, adapting its equipment to the needs generated at all times in order to offer the most appropriate and effective care to our patients without ever forgetting safety and comfort.
What do you bring to the patient at the time of care in the operating room?
Above all, closeness, that they feel secure and confident that they will be offered the best of care.
We are very pleased when on the day of surgery, patients call us by name or ask about our lives.
What representation does nursing have within the Pain Unit?
The pain management nurse has a role that goes far beyond the operating room doors.
We are currently promoting the creation of the nursing office in which we can offer holistic care to the patient in a more comfortable, close and pleasant way, where we can work and reinforce the patient’s self-care, offer the nursing treatments to reinforce the accompaniment in the follow-up of the same.
Why do you like your work?
Fundamentally because it is the profession we chose, what matters most to us is that each patient receives the best possible care according to their condition and needs. And when that happens it is a great satisfaction for us both professionally and personally.
Besides, it is a profession with infinite possibilities, in which you can get very involved.
In our unit, we coincide in space and time with all the components of the multidisciplinary team, which is very enriching and allows us a wide range of techniques and treatments.
Are there analgesic techniques in which nursing has a special involvement and is performed by nursing?
Yes, there are some treatments carried out by nursing professionals. We could highlight the following:
- Transcranial stimulation therapy, in which there is already scientific evidence demonstrating its efficacy, especially in pain of central origin.
- The management of TENS therapy in pain relief, in which, in addition to the execution, nursing has a fundamental role in health education and pain control.
- The application of Capsaicin patches, which requires specific training of the professionals who apply them, in which nursing has a fundamental role in the application, control and evaluation of the response to this treatment.
We have highlighted these three because they are the ones we perform in our unit, but there are other procedures and interventions that are very present as a nursing activity, such as Iontophoresis, handling of elastomeric infusion pumps, recharging of intrathecal pumps, etc.
We would also like to emphasize that nursing plays an important role in health education, promoting self-care and reinforcing good practices in aspects such as the proper use of opiates, healthy habits, relaxation techniques, and others.
Why is your work important?
Because any health intervention, if it is not accompanied by adequate and comprehensive care, is not a quality intervention.
For example, patients appreciate being listened to and having their suggestions taken into account. The simple fact of adding an extra hanger or adapting a space according to their needs makes a difference in terms of satisfaction.
I remember that a patient complained because she did not have enough hangers (we have to take into account that they are under great stress) and when we returned to the Institute and showed her the dressing room with the hanger she had requested, she felt part of our project. It goes without saying that without our patients we would not exist.
What would you like to communicate to patients before the procedure?
Above all, try to lower their stress level by providing them with adequate information, closeness and trust.
Trying to get them to understand our involvement and express how important they are to us, they are much more than patients, they are our raison d’être.
This article was written by Júlia Cebrián Jiménez and Óscar Natoli Vargas, nursing team specialized in pain interventionism at Instituto Aliaga.