| A | B |
|---|
| Pain | Whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever she/he says it does. |
| Peak Effect | Maximum Effectiveness |
| Nociception | Refers to the process by which information about tissue damage is conveyed to the central nervous system (CNS). |
| Pseudoaddiction | The pattern of drug seeking behavior among pain patients because of inadequate management of their pain problem which can be mistaken for addiction. |
| Physical Dependence | A physical response of the body to a substance characterized by signs of withdrawal if the substance is stopped without tapering, markedly reduced after prolonged use, or if an antagonist is administered. |
| Abstinence (Withdrawal) Syndrome | Physical symptoms that can occur after abrupt discontinuation or dose reduction of an opioid or administration of an antagonist. |
| Addiction | A neurobehavioral disorder characterized by compulsive seeking of mood-altering substances and continued use despite harm. |
| Opiate | A drug whose origin is the opium poppy, including codeine and morphine. |
| Non-Opioid | A medication that provides pain relief, but that is not an opiate or a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), acetaminophen). |
| Adjuvant Medications | Medications that are used to enhance the pain relieving effects of opioids and non-opioids, and treat concurrent symptoms that exacerbate pain such as utilization of anxiolytics, or provide independent analgesia for specific sources of pain (i.e. neurologic pain), such as utilization of tricylic anti-depressants and anti-convulsants. |
| Pain Assessment | The comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s pain. |
| Pain Measurement Tool | The quantitative examination of the intensity of the pain as reported by the patient utilizing a standardized instrument which has demonstrated reliability and validity. |
| Titration | Adjustment of medication levels within the dosage and frequency ranges. |
| Neuropathic Pain | May be related to illness, injury or undetermined reasons, chronic and hard to treat. Includes phantom pain. |
| Psychogenic Pain | Cause of pain cannot be identified. |
| Physical Pain | Cause of pain can be identified. |
| Referred Pain | Pain originates from internal organs but pain is perceived in an area distant from its point of origin. |
| Transduction of Pain | Activation of pain receptors |
| Transmission of Pain | Conduction Along Pathways |
| Modulation of Pain | Initiation of the Protective Reflex Response |
| Perception of Pain | Awareness of the Characteristics of Pain |
| Pain Threshold | Amount of stimulation or point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced (pain) "Ok this is hurting." |
| Localized Pain | Pain originates from the skin or from tissues |
| Somatic Pain | Originates in the skin, muscles, bone or connective tissue, can be sharp and well localized, or dull and diffuse, often accompanied by N/V. |
| Visceral Pain | Is from organs or hollow viscera pain is dull and poorly localized because of the low number of nociceptors. |
| Pain Intensity | Refers to the magnitude or amount of pain perceived |
| Pain Tolerance | The highest intensity of pain that the person is willing to tolerate "Can't take anymore! |
| Pain Quality | Refers to how pain feels to the client or words that describe the pain’s nature |
