Characteristics of pain in hospitalized medical patients, surgical patients, and outpatients attending a pain management centre.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Br J Anaesth. 2013 Feb 18;
Rockett MP, Simpson G, Crossley R, Blowey S

BACKGROUND: /st>The characteristics and psychological impact of pain suffered by medical inpatients has been relatively under-investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the pain experience of medical, surgical inpatients, and patients attending a pain management centre. Some aspects of the quality of pain scoring and prescribing were also audited. METHODS: /st>Medical inpatients with significant pain (moderate or severe pain on a verbal rating scale) were assessed using a battery of psychometric questionnaires. Comparator samples of surgical inpatients and patients attending the pain management centre were recruited. RESULTS: /st>The prevalence of significant pain did not differ between the medical group (n=37) and the surgical group (n=38) (16.7% and 19.9%). Chronic pain was common in the medical group (54%) and the surgical group (50%). There were no differences in psychometric variables between the medical and surgical groups. Clinically significant scores for anxiety and depression (HADS ?11) were common in all groups (30-38%). There was less concordance between patient-reported pain scores and nurse-recorded pain scores in the medical group than the surgical group and analgesic prescribing differed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: /st>The characteristics of pain in… Continue reading →