Hillcrest Educational Centers recognizes that many of the students the agency serves may be experiencing some types of psychological and/or emotional pain as a result of their traumatic experiences and/or psychiatric disabilities. This pain may be experienced and manifested in different ways, depending on the student. The treatment of these types of psychological and/or emotional pain is basic to Hillcrest’s evaluation and treatment for all students.
The agency recognizes, however, that some Hillcrest students may also be experiencing transient or chronic physical pain, therefore the agency is committed to assessing whether such pain is present or experienced, and to managing such pain if present. To these ends, the following procedures are conducted for all students in all programs:
1) Pain Assessment will be conducted by the program Nurse as part of the Nursing Assessment, which is conducted within 24 hours of a student’s Admission to the agency.
The results of the Pain Assessment will be documented on the Nursing Assessment form.
2) Pain Assessment will be conducted by the program Physician as part of the Physical Examination that is conducted within 30 days of a student’s Admission to the agency.
The results of the Pain Assessment will be documented on the Physical Examination form.
3) Pain Assessment will be conducted by the program Physician as part of the annual Physical Examination, which is conducted 12 months after a student’s Admission to the agency.
The results of the Pain Assessment will be documented on the Physical Examination form.
4) If either transient or chronic pain is reported by the student or by their staff, or is identified by either the Nurse or the Physician during any routine or special medical examination, diagnosis and treatment of the pain and associated medical conditions will be conducted.
5) If chronic pain is identified as an issue for any student, treatment and management of such chronic pain will be included in the student’s Comprehensive Treatment Plan.
6) If chronic pain is identified as an issue for any student and is included in that student’s CTP, treatment will be followed in monthly nursing progress notes until resolved.