Prescribing of analgesics in trauma patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether initial orders of pain medications by physicians for trauma patients were in accordance with published guidelines.


METHODS
Concurrent, nonrandomized investigation conducted over 4 months.


METHODS
All adult trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit within 12 hours of injury who stayed for at least 1 hour were eligible for study admission. Patients with injuries prohibiting accurate pain assessment (e.g., Glasgow Coma Score < 8, spinal cord injury) were excluded. Initial orders for pain medications were compared to published guidelines; correlations between dose and patient demographics were studied.


RESULTS
Of the 30 patients enrolled in the study, 83% were prescribed appropriate pain control regimens. The average dose of morphine administered during each of the 8-hour dosing intervals was approximately 12 mg. No relationship was found between patient age, sex, Glasgow Coma Score, and morphine dose; however, there was a positive correlation found between Injury Severity Score and dose.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of patients in this investigation were initially prescribed appropriate doses and intervals for pain management.
Erstad
B L
BL
College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Chopda
S
S
Esser
M J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology*
D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009020:Morphine