Pain Management

The effective relief of pain is a basic human right and is a cornerstone of healing and recovery. At San Joaquin Community Hospital (SJCH), one of our quality aims is to relieve pain and suffering for the individual patient and to transform our system with a higher standard of evidence-based best practices. We also recognize that pain is more than a physical response. Pain is multifaceted and includes emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and cultural issues that impact quality of life and recovery.

Our Pain Management Lean Team is working to improve the timeliness of pain medication delivery. The goal is to provide pain medication within 10 minutes or less of patient request 75 percent of the time. We also have set a goal to improve our patient experience response to the question “Is your pain always well controlled?” by 20 percent..

Other strategies for better pain management include:

• Creating a multidisciplinary Pain Management Council composed of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, therapists and other disciplines to oversee and guide the pain management program at SJCH to support education of staff, physicians and patients.
• A special two-day education program for pain resource nurses to build nursing expertise in assessing and managing pain.
• New patient controlled analgesia pumps with state-of-the art technology to promote pain relief that is driven by the patient’s needs.
• Our Palliative Care Team is focused on offering specialized expertise for pain and symptom management to those with serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.

At SJCH, we are committed to the relief of pain, discomfort, and suffering.