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Summary
Abdominal pain has many causes, from simple to complex presentations. Patients with abdominal pain may have a number of physiological and psychological needs. Nurses have a key role to play in patient assessment, history taking and management.
Keywords
Accident and emergency nursing; Gastrointestinal system and disorders; Pain and pain management
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Aims and intended learning outcomes
The aim of this article is to assist nurses in the assessment of abdominal pain in adults presenting to the accident and emergency (A&E) department and other acute settings. Through a structured approach to history taking and pain assessment, nurses should be able to differentiate a bdominal pain caused by acute rather than non-acute conditions. Within a contemporary, interprofessional healthcare environment, this will aid rapid and effective treatment.
After reading this article you should be able to:
* Describe the anatomy and physiology of organs associated with abdominal pain.
* Identify the main causes of abdominal pain and differential diagnoses.
* Ask relevant questions of a patient presenting with abdominal pain.
* Discuss the appropriate investigations and nursing care required.
* Understand the principles of symptom management.
Introduction
A nurse is the first healthcare professional many patients with abdominal pain may encounter, whether in an AScK department, walk-in centre, outpatient clinic, primary caresetting or surgical ward. Traditional professional working boundaries are no longer fixed in the current healthcare climate (Coombs and Krsser 2004).
Many nurses of all levels are involved in the initial assessment and treatment of a patient before a medical consultation. It is therefore desirable that in addition to traditional nursing assessments, registered nurses are able to ask the correct questions, initiate tests and implement first-line treatments to ensure a timely and effective experience for the patient.
Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons that people seek medical care (Kelso and Kugelmas 1997). It may be difficult to establish the cause of the abdominal pain because of the diversity of clinical signs and symptoms. However, the history can provide 70 per cent or more of...