Page 52 - Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice ( PDFDrive )

Chapter 2

Pain

Box 2.1: Key Points
• An understanding of pain and its impact on the
individual is essential for wound care professionals;

• The gate-control theory (GCT) of pain highlights
that pain experience can be influenced by psycho-
logical, social and physiological factors;
• Pain experienced during wound healing can
negatively impact upon the patient experience, and
ultimately, healing rate;
• There is evidence supporting the link between
psychosocial issues, stress, pain and delayed wound
healing;

• It is essential that clinicians assess all elements of
pain in order to manage it appropriately and facilitate
best wound care.

Summary

Pain is reported as being one of the most significant issues for
the individual with a wound. Not only can it have a significant
impact on quality of life, pain’s intimate relationship with
stress means that excessive pain can lead to stress and delayed

D. Upton, P. Upton, Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care 25
in Clinical Practice, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-09653-7_2,
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015