Interview

 Interviewee: Lara Burnette: Block Nurse/Nurse at Northside Hospital

Question in Bold

Lara's answer in non-bold

My reflection in Italics
 

Why are opioids prescribed for post-op pain?

“ For pain control, to reduce pain… but they’re not our first choice.”

I agree with Lara, that opioids should not be our first choice for pain management in the medical field.
 

What effect do opioids have on our bodies?

“Altered mentation (mental activity), drowsiness, they slow down gut muscles so they can cause bowel obstruction or constipation.”

I think this is a near-perfect description as to the side effects caused by opioids.
 

Are patients educated on opioid addiction prior to surgery?

“Not so much addiction we don’t go there right away, but they would definitely be counseled immediately on how to use them as prescribed, only if you have to, try other things first and we will educate on side effects before we educate on addiction.”

Although I wish patients did get a little bit of an insight as to how dangerous opioid addiction is, I understand why they give patients certain information. Lara explained this really well.
 

Why do you think it is important for patients getting surgery to be educated on the effects of opioids?

“We want them to understand how to avoid the use and then what the negative side effects are before we- we don't want to totally scare them about addiction because sometimes you do need them (opioids) for pain, but we want to do everything else we can in conjunction with  so we can greatly reduce the use of them.”

I completely agree with Lara’s explanation of this question. Opioid education is extremely important to a safe, healthy recovery.
 

What steps do block nurses and nurses take to help minimize pain?

“Injecting local pain medicine at the sight of surgery to make something numb with the nerves being numb so that you can avoid narcotics.”

Block Nurses use regional blocks to help minimize pain prior to surgery. These blocks help give patients pain management for days after surgery. I agree with Lara on how we should avoid narcotics.
 

What are regional blocks?

“Injecting local medicine at a nerve that goes to the area of the body having surgery and by numbing that nerve you decrease the pain pathway from the body part to the brain and then you can have pain decreased without using opiates at all.”

I think regional blocks prior to surgery are a more efficient alternative to helping pain management for post-op, rather than a physician prescribing opioids.

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What are the benefits to regional blocks before a joint surgery?

“It’s best to do them before joint surgery because then they’re in place and the pain will be blocked before the pain occurs, if you do it after the pain starts then you have to play catch up.”

Regional blocks before a joint surgery for example, can help a patient have less pain for three to four days post surgery, which can ultimately help a patient to not rely on opioids.
 

What are some ways post-op patients can treat pain without opioids?

“Over-the-counter medicines as directed by their physicians, rest, ice, elevation, anything that their physician says is specifically okay for that procedure.”

I like the variety of methods that she mentioned in our interview. These are easy enough that patients can do them on their own time with little effort for better results.
 

Do you think medical personnel should try to stray away from prescribing opioids?

“Definitely.”

Medical personnel should try to stay away from the use of opioids. Opioids have detrimental effects on our bodies.
 

Do you think opioids are necessary for post-op pain?

“Sometimes, they're in conjunction with our other measures we can reduce the use and use them just a little bit if they are necessary.”

 I agree with Lara’s answer. I believe that we should attempt to use other methods of healing and pain management before we resort to the use of opioids.

 

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