Nursing Care Plan for Chronic Pain
Also searched as: long-term pain
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
Pain lasting beyond the expected healing period (often >3 months) that affects function and mood. Nursing care focuses on function, coping, and a multimodal plan.
Build your own Chronic Pain care plan in minutes → the free Care Plan Builder walks you from assessment to evaluation and exports a clean PDF.
Assessment
- Subjective: persistent pain, effect on sleep/mood/function
- Objective: guarding, reduced activity, possible depression signs
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: persistent pain report, reduced function
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will report pain managed to a level that allows improved daily function and will use coping strategies.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Assess pain and its impact on function, sleep, and mood regularly. | Chronic pain is multidimensional; function matters as much as intensity. |
| Support a multimodal plan (medications, physical activity, non-drug therapies). | Combined approaches manage chronic pain better than opioids alone. |
| Teach pacing, relaxation, and realistic goal-setting. | Builds self-management and reduces catastrophizing. |
| Screen for and address depression and sleep problems. | These worsen pain and are treatable. |
Evaluation
- Improved function
- Uses coping strategies
- Mood/sleep addressed
Stop rewriting care plans by hand
CarePlanKit builds a complete, formatted care plan for any condition — assessment, diagnosis, SMART goals, interventions with rationale — and exports to PDF or Word in your school's format. Free to start.
Build a care plan free See Student plan — $6.99/monthChronic Pain care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Chronic Pain?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Chronic pain related to a long-term condition. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Chronic Pain?
Key interventions: Assess pain and its impact on function, sleep, and mood regularly.; Support a multimodal plan (medications, physical activity, non-drug therapies).; Teach pacing, relaxation, and realistic goal-setting. — each paired with a rationale.
Can I use this care plan for my assignment?
Use it as a study example and starting draft. Always adapt it to your specific patient and have it reviewed by your instructor. This is an educational tool, not medical advice.
Last reviewed 2026-07. Educational content based on standard nursing practice; not medical advice and not affiliated with NANDA-I/NIC/NOC. Always follow your institution's protocols and your instructor's guidance.