March 22, a unique knowledge contest, opened the pain-free hospital construction prelude of Hainan Cancer Hospital and Hainan Chengmei Hospital, marking the two hospitals to fully open the "comfort" diagnosis and treatment services.
Pain is not "pleasure". With the advancement of medical technology, endoscopic procedures such as gastroscopy, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, hysteroscopy, etc. have emerged, providing patients with more convenient, efficient, and minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic services. However, many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures still cause certain degree of discomfort or pain to patients.
"Painless" diagnostic and therapeutic procedures make patients more comfortable. This year, the hospital has comprehensively initiated the construction of a "Painless Hospital" as part of its annual work plan. In many areas where procedures are typically associated with pain, the hospitals Anesthesiology Department, Pain Management Department, and Nursing Department are leading efforts to provide "comfortable and painless" services.
According to the introduction, the hospitals "comfortable and painless" techniques will cover a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic services, including gastroscopy, bronchoscopy, postoperative pain management, cystoscopy, prostate examination, hysteroscopy, wound dressing changes, dental treatments, and more. These efforts aim to make the patients medical experience pleasant and comfortable, reflecting a greater emphasis on humanistic medical care.
Experts from the hospital have stated that "comfortable and painless" services not only greatly alleviate the psychological stress of patients but also facilitate follow-up examinations and treatments. Additionally, since the muscles of patients are in a relaxed state, it is more convenient for physicians to perform procedures. This results in shorter and quicker examination and treatment times, more accurate results, and a reduction in potential secondary injuries caused by examinations.
It is reported that as early as 2000, the World Health Organization explicitly stated that "chronic pain is a disease”. In 2015, the World Health Organization officially included pain as the fifth vital sign after temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. Moderate to severe pain significantly affects our physical and mental well-being and quality of life.
Cancer pain is one of the most common and debilitating complications experienced by cancer patients, significantly impacting their quality of life. Relying on its specialized expertise, Hainan Cancer Hospital actively carries out standardized treatment and care for cancer pain, promoting comprehensive management of cancer pain throughout the process. Through professional approaches such as medication therapy and minimally invasive interventional pain management, the burden of pain in cancer patients is alleviated. Through a series of painless nursing procedures such as "painless venous blood collection" and "painless peripheral venous puncture," cancer patients can have a more comfortable medical experience. By organizing academic exchanges, health lectures, patient role-playing experiences, and other activities, the hospital promotes the improvement of the overall management level of intractable cancer pain and enhances cancer patients correct understanding of cancer pain.
Wang Zhiying, Vice President of the hospital and Director of the Nursing Department, emphasized that the core focus of creating a painless hospital lies in the patient-centered service concept. It aims to improve the pain management skills of medical and nursing staff, help patients understand and control their pain, achieve painless diagnosis and treatment, enhance their quality of life, and elevate the level of high-end medical services provided by the hospital. This year, many departments of the hospital have actively implemented and promoted comprehensive pain management measures and comfortable painless diagnostic and treatment services.
Mr. Huang, a patient in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Ward of Hainan Provincial Cancer Hospital, voluntarily registered to participate in the first edition of the "Understanding Pain, Treating Pain, Warmth in Companionship" pain knowledge quiz competition as a beneficiary of building of the "Painless Hospital". He exemplifies his personal experience to emphasize that implementing effective pain management plays an incredibly important role in the treatment and promotion of post-treatment recovery for cancer patients.
On the day of the pain knowledge quiz competition, a total of 10 teams consisting of doctors, nurses, and patients from various departments participated. The competition atmosphere was lively, and both the interviewed journalists and patients actively took part in the quiz activity.
Through fierce competition, finally Gastrointestinal Surgery Ward I and Minimally Invasive Surgery Diagnostic and Treatment Centre won the first prize, Oncology Ward I and Department of Critical Care Medicine won the second prize, and Hairedema Outpatient Clinic, Gastrointestinal Surgery Ward II and Geriatrics Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Treatment Centre won the third prize.
Highlights of the competition
Award presentation
Text from Liang Shan and Chen Lin and picture from He Junpeng