Evidence-Based Research Problem in Nursing Research Paper

Still, the concept of guided imagery tends to stray far from traditional methods of pain management. Pharmaceuticals have long been a major method of treatment for pain, but have resulted in major backlashes in regards to patients becoming addicted, especially in long-term and chronic cases of pain. If guided imagery could be a successful method, it may reduce pain or increase pain tolerance, without the threat of chemical dependence.

There are a number of benefits which are seen in the ongoing discourse today. As such, the expected improvements include things like drops in blood high blood pressure, lower heart rates, and reduction of chronic pain symptoms, lessoning of headache pain, and increasing overall pain tolerance (Cornelius, 2010). In situations were patients going into a major surgery were coached with guided imagery, it was "shown to decrease stress and anxiety before and after surgery," thus helping reduce additional pain issues during the crucial stages of recovery directly after an invasive surgery (Cornelius, 2010). It is a natural and holistic way to approach pain management. It eventually aims "to increase the ability to self-manage pain, and decrease dependence upon medications and medical care" (Bresler, 2012). This may mean increasing an individual's pain tolerance in order to increase their quality of life as they recover.

The previous discussion highlights a clear problem that could possibly be addressed with the proposed method of guided imagery within clinical practice. However, if there is a relationship between the variables here, it will be difficult to discern based on the abstract nature of the data that would be needed. As such, the research questions that drive this research must be well tailored in order to secure a more directed path for the overall research process. The questions for this current research are as follows:

How can guided imagery help direct pain management strategies?

Does guided imagery help increase pain tolerance?

Can guided imagery before surgery help prevent pain from increasing to intolerable levels?

How can guided practice be implemented into clinical practice more often today?

How can strategies utilizing guided imagery be evaluated in terms of how successful they are for managing pain?

These questions can help drive a more thorough investigation into the environment and related factors that contribute to unmanageable levels of pain. Next is a much needed search through the literature in order to better answer such questions. The following search terms will help focus that literature review most appropriately:

Pain Management

Alternative Pain Management

Guided Imagery

Holistic Pain Management

Increasing Pain Tolerance

Pain and Guided Imagery

Pain Management After Surgery

Pharmaceutical Medications and Pain Management

Preparing Patients for Invasive Surgery

Surgery and Pain

Pain and Nursing

References

Bresler, David E. (2012). Raising pain tolerance using guided imagery. Practical Pain Management. Web. http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/psychological/raising-pain-tolerance-using-guided-imagery

Cornelius, Debra. (2010). Guided imagery improves treatment options for various conditions. Health. Web. http://voices.yahoo.com/guided-imagery-improves-treatment-options-various-6299902.html

Davies, Karen Sue. (2011). formulating the evidence-based practice question: A review of the frameworks. Evidence-Based Library and Informative Practice, 6(2), 75-81.