Theoretical frameworks helps to connect the researcher to existing knowledge regarding a given topic. Reflecting on your role as a professional nurse and change processes that you have participated in, What effect does a theoretical framework have on research? How does it influence the outcome of research studies?

Scenario 1: A patient with chronic back pain requests a narcotic prescription.

1. Hypothesis: In patients with chronic back pain not caused by injury, what is the effect of eight weeks of physical therapy compared to oral narcotic medication on the patients’ perception of pain?

Chronic back pain is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Since a patient’s report of pain is objective, it is sometimes hard to determine if that patient is in pain. These symptoms may help you to identify if a patient is in pain: Diaphoresis, hypertension, pupil dilation, tachycardia, and tachypnea.

When a patient is in pain, they will want that pain to be relieved very quickly. Therefore, most will rather take oral narcotic medications than do 8 weeks of physical therapy. Physical therapy results may improve the cause of the symptoms but will aggravate the pain before making it better while oral narcotics will immediately control the pain but will not address the root cause of the problem. The main purpose of pain management should be to relieve the pain, resolve the root cause, and improve the patient’s functionality. Kolcaba’s Theory of comfort puts comfort as an immediate desirable outcome of nursing care. According to Kolcaba, comfort is the product of holistic nursing art (Petiprin, 2019).

In regard to the hypothesis and concurring with Kolcaba’s theory of comfort, I will lean towards a combination of both oral narcotic medication and physical therapy. In all cases, the patient desires will need to be discussed. Since the pain is a chronic issue and narcotic medication can do more harm in the long run, the patient may choose to conform to an eight weeks physical therapy plan. I also suffer from chronic lower back pain and have been through several physical therapy plans but sometimes I need some sort of analgesics for breakthrough pain. It is important to discuss all the options available to the patient and to give them autonomy in their healthcare decisions. They will also need to be educated on the risks and benefits of each choice. More adverse effects are seen using oral narcotics while physical therapy yields lower risks. For a patient to receive immediate pain relief, oral narcotics are optimum, but they must consider the long-term effects. Metabolization and excretion of these medications may cause injury to the liver, kidney, and other organs.

Order this paper