Pain-behavior contracts: effective management of the adolescent in sickle-cell crisis.

Pain-behavior contracts can be utilized as an alternative method of managing the discomfort experienced by adolescents in sickle-cell crisis. The psychological impact of sickle-cell disease, the developmental need of adolescents to control situations in which they find themselves, and principles of pain control all provide theoretical bases supporting the use of pain contracts in clinical practice. If nurses are to effectively use such contracts, they must understand how to develop and implement them in the clinical setting. In addition, research can be designed to explore the use of such contracts for adolescents and staff.