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Managing Pain and Treating Symptoms

What is "Managing Pain and Treating Symptoms"? 

Your care team wants to know if you are having pain or other symptoms or signs of not feeling well. We want to help lessen these so you feel better.

Being in pain can keep you from doing things. Pain can also keep you from enjoying life. Your care team will ask you to rate the pain you are feeling. We will work with you to lessen the pain.

Your care team will also work with you to lessen other signs of problems. This includes signs of a long term, or chronic, condition and other problems that could occur.

The numbers for this item show how often:

  •  your team asked you to rate your pain 
  • treatment from your doctor was given
  • your pain was managed so you could do things like get out of bed, take a shower, or get dressed

How is "Managing Pain and Treating Symptoms" used to measure quality?

Treating pain is an important part of your home health plan of care. Your natural response to pain is to stop moving or stop doing what hurts. Not moving can lead to other problems such as tight muscles or pressure sores. Pain that does not go away or is getting worse can be a sign of getting sick. Also, pain can lead to depression, anxiety, and a lower quality of life.

Tracking how well your pain is managed helps us understand if we are doing all we can to help you feel better. Not all pain can be taken away, but having as little pain as possible is always a goal.

Your care team will work with you to lessen pain and to help you recover. Your team will also check for other signs and will tell your doctor. Your team will teach you ways to decrease other signs and when to call your care team. Some people may not improve, or may get worse due to their medical problem. The care team will provide the needed support and help as much as possible.