Acute Pain Assessment Inadequacy in the Emergency Department: Patients’ Perspective

Abstract

For many patients, acute pain is a common cause to seek treatment in an Emergency Department (ED). An inadequate assessment could cause inappropriate pain management. The aim of this study was to describe and explain patients’ perceptions of acute pain assessment in the Emergency Department. The data were collected from ED patients (n = 114). Patients reported that nurses were asking about intensity of pain at rest, but only 52% during movement. According to the patients, the most common tools to assess acute pain were the verbal rating scale (VRS; 54% of patients), numerical rating scale (NRS; 28% of patients), and visual analogue scale (VAS; 9.7% of patients). Over twenty per cent of patients stated that ED nurses did not ask about the intensity of pain after analgesic administration. Twenty-four per cent of the patients were not pleased with nursing pain assessment in the ED. The assessment of acute pain is still inadequate in the ED. Therefore, ED nurses need to be more attentive to systematic acute pain management of patients in the ED.

Assessing Chest Pain Management and Outcomes in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients: A Retrospective Analysis in Saudi Arabian Emergency Departments

“…Recognizing gender differences in CVD is crucial for effective prevention and treatment [20], and management decisions should be based on thorough analysis of risk factors, clinical manifestations, and patient preferences, rather than gender [21,22]. Moderate pain was reported by 66% of participants, indicating the need for better pain evaluation and treatment in the ED [23,24]. Self-assessment is the most reliable method for evaluating pain intensity [24,26], and accurate pain assessment during triage is essential to prevent mistriage and negative patient outcomes [27].…”

Special consideration for pain management in the older person

“…Assessment of pain has also been reported to be inadequate among healthcare professionals. [17][18][19] Not all older people seeking medical attention were assessed for the presence or absence of pain. 18 When pain was identified, it was not comprehensive enough.…”

“…Important questions such as how movement affects pain and treatment response were irregularly assessed. 19 Clinicians were reported to be hesitant to prescribe opioids even when they were clinically appropriate because of concerns over adverse effects, potential patient addiction and the risk of drug overdose. 20 Inadequately treated pain is associated with a variety of negative outcomes which may influence pain perception and coping capability, creating a vicious downward spiral.…”

Patient satisfaction – results of cluster analysis of finnish patients

“…Patient satisfaction is positively related to access to services [ 11 ], with waiting times for admission, interruptions in data flow [ 15 ], and inadequate pain management among the reasons for dissatisfaction [ 16 ]. Factors related to nurses, that is, poor work environment and job dissatisfaction, have been reported to negatively affect patient outcomes, such as increased complications and adverse events [ 17 , 18 ], with heavy workloads among nurses associated with decreasing patient satisfaction [ 19 ].…”