Staja Booker, lead author of “Assessing Movement-Evoked Pain”
·12 min·1 clip
Staja Booker reveals why nurses often miss pain during movement, a flaw in standard assessment practices.
This episode of The AJN Podcast features host Christine Maffa interviewing Dr. Staja Booker, lead author of a CE article on movement-evoked pain. Booker is joined by co-authors Paul Arnstein and Rhianne Van Bekel, who are recognized for their previous work on pain and function. The conversation explores a paradigm shift in nursing pain assessment from static to dynamic evaluation.
The authors identified a clinical gap where nurses typically assess pain only at rest using a standard 0-10 scale. They argue this misses critical data about pain during functional movements essential for recovery. The article provides practical scenarios for integrating movement-evoked pain assessment into routine care without adding time burdens. Examples include asking about pain during patient ambulation, transitions from bed to chair, or while a physical therapist assists with dressing.
A key insight is that patients often report minimal pain at rest but severe pain during movement, which traditional assessment completely misses. Booker shares research observations where older adults report pain scores jumping from zero while sitting to eight upon standing. This approach aims to create more cohesive, shift-spanning pain management plans through better documentation. The method encourages noting the specific movement triggering pain, its location, and tolerability during activities.
Implementing this assessment does not require new protocols but rather a mindful integration into existing patient interactions. The authors believe this shift is crucial for linking pain management directly to functional recovery outcomes. They emphasize documenting the context of pain assessments to inform multimodal treatment strategies across care teams.
The tone is professional and educational, focused on practical clinical application. The style is a conversational interview between colleagues aiming to improve nursing practice.
This episode is ideal for bedside nurses, nurse educators, and pain management specialists seeking to enhance patient assessment. Listeners looking for broad healthcare policy debates or personal patient narratives might find it too clinically specific.
