Pain and Analgesia in Pregnancy course for Nurses

This session describes the basis for, and management of, pain during pregnancy and labour, including non-pharmacological, pharmacological and neuraxial measures.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Explain the physiology of pain during labour
• List the non-pharmacological, pharmacological and neuraxial options for analgesia during labour
• Compare the efficacy of the various pharmacological and non-pharmacological analgesic options during labour
• Compare and contrast different forms of instigating and maintaining neuraxial analgesia in labour
• Identify the severity and incidence of risks associated with neuraxial analgesia
• List the common analgesics that can be safely used in pregnancy

The intensity and emotional impact of the labour pain felt by pregnant women has been assessed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

Patients undergoing labour for the first time, without prior training, rated their labour pain to be equivalent to amputation of a digit without anaesthesia.