Patient perception of pain care in hospitals in the United States

Abstract

Study objectiveAssessment of patients’ perception of pain control in hospitals in the United States.BackgroundLimited data are available regarding the quality of pain care in the hospitalized patient. This is particularly valid for data that allow for comparison of pain outcomes from one hospital to another. Such data are critical for numerous reasons, including allowing patients and policy-makers to make data-driven decisions, and to guide hospitals in their efforts to improve pain care. The Hospital Quality Alliance was recently created by federal policy makers and private organizations in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services to conduct patient surveys to evaluate their experience including pain control during their hospitalization.MethodsIn March 2008, the results of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was released for review for health care providers and researchers. This survey includes a battery of questions for patients upon discharge from the hospital including pain-related questions and patient satisfaction that provide valuable data regarding pain care nationwide. This study will review the results from the pain questions from this available data set and evaluate the performance of these hospitals in pain care in relationship to patient satisfaction. Furthermore, this analysis will be providing valuable information on how hospital size, geographic location and practice setting may play a role in pain care in US hospitals.ResultsThe data indicates that 63% of patients gave a high rating of global satisfaction for their care, and that an additional 26% of patients felt that they had a moderate level of global satisfaction with the global quality of their care. When correlated to satisfaction with pain control, the relationship with global satisfaction and “always” receiving good pain control was highly correlated (r >0.84). In respect to the other HCAHPS components, we found that the patient and health care staff relationship with the patient is also highly correlated with pain relief (r >0.85). The patients’ reported level of pain relief was significantly different based upon hospital ownership, with government owned hospitals receiving the highest pain relief, followed by nonprofit hospitals, and lastly proprietary hospitals. Hospital care acuity also had an impact on the patient’s perception of their pain care; patients cared for in acute care hospitals had lower levels of satisfaction than critical access hospitals.ConclusionsThe results of this study are a representation of the experiences of patients in US hospitals with regard to pain care specifically and the need for improved methods of treating and evaluating pain care. This study provides the evidence needed for hospitals to make pain care a priority in to achieve patient satisfaction throughout the duration of their hospitalization. Furthermore, future research should be developed to make strategies for institutions and policy-makers to improve and optimize patient sat...

Enhancing Nurses' Pain Assessment to Improve Patient Satisfaction

“…Ineffective pain management infl uences patient recovery. Ineffective pain management may also impact the organization as a consequence of increased readmissions, prolonged length of stay, and poor clinical outcomes ( Dunwoody et al, 2008 ;Gillaspie, 2010 ;Gupta, Daigle, Mojica, & Hurley, 2009 ). Innis, Bikaunieks, Petryshen, Zellermeyer, and Ciccarelli (2004) maintain that the "most common barrier to successful pain management is the failure to assess.…”

Opioid Prescribing at Hospital Discharge Contributes to Chronic Opioid Use

“…Some providers are financially incentivized to aggressively treat pain because their salaries are tied to patient satisfaction scores that encompass pain control metrics. [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] Balancing the risks and benefits of opioid prescribing is difficult when the physician faces pressure from the patient and healthcare system. 18,56 We characterized opioid receipt at hospital discharge among opioid naïve medical and surgical patients.…”

A Consumer Health Information System to Assist Patients Select Quality Home Health Services

“…The geographic difference by state is common in healthcare. For instance, Gupta et al found a significant difference in patient pain care perception between the states [17], while Nothelle et al reported a difference in potentially inappropriate medication use between US regions [18]. Similarly, Cole, Wilson, and Trivedi reported state variation in quality outcome for community health centers [19].…”