Assessment and Management of Pain in Palliative Care

Palliative care is an essential component in any disease management. Pain assessment acts as the connecting link between the nerves, brain and spinal cord. Classification and assessment of the pain have great significance in controlling the pain-related symptoms. Pain is broadly divided into three types nociceptive, neuropathic and mixed depending upon the damage caused. Nociceptive pain is caused due to the stimulation of the pain receptors in the tissues and is further divided into visceral and somatic depending on the pain site. Neuropathic pain arises when the nervous system gets damaged or start dysfunctioning. Cancer pain assessment includes several factors like the site, intensity, syndrome, timing and temporal variation of pain. Edmonton staging system for cancer pain prognostic is widely used for pain management includes emotional/psychological distress cognitive impairment caused by pain. A comprehensive understanding of pain assessment will help in enhancing the quality of life of the patients.