Abstract

ARBONES, E.  and  INSTITUT MUNICIPAL D'ASSISTENCIA SANITARIA. Comisión para la Evaluación y Tratamiento del Dolor et al. Pain in hospitalized patients: cross-sectional study on information, evaluation and treatment. Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor [online]. 2009, vol.16, n.6, pp.314-322. ISSN 1134-8046.

Objective: To propose and implement strategies to improve pain management in hospitals belonging to the Municipal Institute of Healthcare (Instituto Municipal de Asistencia Sanitaria, Barcelona, Spain), the Committee for Pain Evaluation and Treatment developed a questionnaire to be used in patients admitted to these centers to complement a previous survey of opinions and attitudes among hospital staff. Material and methods: We performed a cross-sectional opinion survey and review of medical records. The questions were grouped into five categories: information given to the patient on the importance of reporting and treating pain, the methods used to assess pain, the effect on activities of daily living during hospitalization, the treatment applied and satisfaction with pain management. A total of 325 adult patients hospitalized for more than 48 hours were surveyed. Patients with communication difficulties were excluded, as were psychiatric patients if the treating physician considered participation inappropriate. Patients were selected randomly. In the calculation of sample size, stratification was by hospital and patient type (acutely ill medical or surgical patients, long-stay patients and psychiatric patients). Descriptive statistics were compiled. Results: No information about the importance of reporting pain was received by 42.2% of the patients; 62.8% had been asked about pain intensity, the most frequent method used being a categorical scale (48.5%), followed by a verbal-numerical scale (35.8%). Most patients (76.9%) experienced some type of pain during admission; of these, 22% did not seek help for pain management. Overall, 85.8% of the patients felt that their pain had received sufficient attention, while 33.3% reported moderate or considerable limitation of daily activities due to pain while in hospital. The analgesia protocol prescribed in the largest proportion of the sample (31.1%) was a fixed-dose without rescue medication (31.1%). Satisfaction was high, with 76.9% of the patients being satisfied with the care received and 75.1% with the treatments used. Conclusions: Pain management in our centers should be improved by increasing the information given to patients and providing systematic pain evaluation. Protocols adapted to the needs of each department should be designed. Patient satisfaction is not an accurate indicator of the quality of pain management.

Keywords : Pain; Questionnaire; Professionals; Evaluation; Information; Hospitals.

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