Analgesic prescription and administration to adolescents admitted to an adult versus pediatric trauma center.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the prescription and administration practices for narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics given to injured adolescents admitted to an adult versus pediatric trauma center.


METHODS
A retrospective chart review of 45 medical records for documentation of prescribed and administered analgesics in the first 48 hours of hospitalization.


RESULTS
Adolescents treated at the adult trauma center had significantly more narcotics ordered in the first 24 hours of admission compared to adolescents in the pediatric trauma center. However, when controlling for injury severity, there was no difference between the narcotic administration at the two trauma centers. There were no differences in the types or numbers of doses of non-narcotic analgesics prescribed or administered.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no differences in the prescription or administration of narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics to injured adolescents in an adult versus a pediatric trauma center. Future research should focus on the prospective enrollment of injured adolescents at additional trauma centers and a larger sample size to validate or refute these findings.
Bernardo
L M
LM
School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Gardner
M J
MJ
Miracle
T B
TB
Henker
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010372:Pediatrics; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*
D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid