Pain in Intensive Care: A Personalised Healthcare Approach

Abstract

For patients admitted to intensive care, pain is a common experience with potentially significant consequences. Pain management needs to evolve from the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ plan to a more personalised approach. This can be achieved by appreciating the numerous potential causes of pain, using appropriate assessment tools, utilising a range of potential treatment options and addressing the challenges associated with pain management in this heterogeneous population. At this point a truly multimodal, multidisciplinary management plan can be implemented, aimed at improving pain control and ultimately patient outcomes.