Quantitative and Qualitative Research on Efficacy of Non-pharmacological Pain Management

ADVANCED RESEARCH DESIGN
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Advanced Research Design
Introduction
Chronic pain remains a serious healthcare challenge regardless of the advancements in pain management over the last decades. Avoiding painful interventions should be the primary avenue of managing chronic pain (Park & Moon, 2010). Traditionally, stakeholders in healthcare have employed both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in managing pain. Still, there is no conclusive data on the best approaches to pain management. As the debate continues, the challenges associated with pain, including neurodevelopmental issues and behavioral challenges, continue to escalate with detrimental consequences both short-term and long-term (Reno, 2021). Non-pharmacological interventions to pain have triggered debates with factions believing that such interventions prove inadequate with limited consistency. The industry is highly dependent on pharmacological pain interventions that are believed to be swift in addressing pain, albeit with notable risks such as addiction (Park & Moon, 2010). Focusing on clinical stability and recovery of the individuals experiencing pain remains the focus of healthcare professionals. In contemporary healthcare, multidisciplinary teams, especially nurses, must develop the ultimate strategies to manage pain among patients (Beckett et al., 2016). In an industry that is fast appreciating the inputs of evidence-based practice, enhancing knowledge in the prospects of pain management remains a necessity. Nurses should have a variety of options if faced with pain management decisions. Still, emphasis must be put on the outcomes of the approaches chosen to manage various aspects of pain. This research focuses on non-pharmacological pain management approaches and their efficacy relative to pharmacological interventions with the PICOT questions’ findings based on quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
Background
Chronic pain is a serious challenge going by the prevalent data. Chronic pain is commonplace, especially in the US. In 2019, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released data indicating that 50 million Americans are experiencing chronic pain at least once a year. That number translates to approximately 20% of the US population. Pain issues cost the economy severely. It is indicated that individuals with chronic pain miss more workdays (10) compared to those who do not suffer from chronic pain and miss three workdays per year on average. With that number, the total economic impact of chronic pain in terms of lost wages amounts to $80 billion annually (Reno, 2021). The economic impacts of chronic pain extend to lost productivity that is valued at $300 billion annually. Amidst such financial losses, chronic pain also comes as a serious challenge to the patients. Patients with chronic pain stay at risk of developing further complications, including dysfunctions in their physical and mental states. It has been indicated in the literature that patients with chronic pain are more likely to develop psychological disorders than those without chronic pain chall...