Pain ladder
Pain ladder
The Pain ladder is a tool used in the medical field to assess and manage a patient's pain. It was first introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1986 for the management of cancer pain, but has since been used for all types of pain.
Pronunciation
Pain ladder: /peɪn ˈlædər/
Etymology
The term "pain ladder" is derived from the visual representation of the tool, which resembles a ladder. The concept is that a patient's pain management should "climb" the ladder, starting with non-opioids and progressing to stronger medications as necessary.
Definition
The Pain ladder is a three-step "ladder" for managing pain in adults. It is used by healthcare professionals to guide the administration of drugs for pain relief. The steps are as follows:
- Non-opioids (like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen) for mild pain.
- Weak opioids (like Codeine), often in combination with non-opioids, for moderate pain.
- Strong opioids (like Morphine), often in combination with non-opioids and adjuvant drugs, for severe pain.
Related Terms
- Analgesic: A class of drugs used to relieve pain. The Pain ladder is a guide for the use of analgesics.
- Opioid: A type of narcotic pain medication that is used in the second and third steps of the Pain ladder.
- Adjuvant: A drug that is added to enhance the effect of the primary drug. In the context of the Pain ladder, adjuvants are often added to opioids to enhance pain relief.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Pain ladder
- Wikipedia's article - Pain ladder
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