Self-reported management of pain in hospitalized patients: link between process and outcome.
OBJECTIVE
Hospitalized patients commonly experience pain. We investigated the association between patients' reported use of recommended pain management practices and overall pain relief.


METHODS
All adult patients discharged during a 1-month period from a Swiss teaching hospital were invited to complete a mailed survey that included the Picker patient experience questionnaire, questions on pain relief during hospitalization, and questions on various procedures that are recommended as standards of pain management.


RESULTS
Of 2156 eligible patients, 1518 (70%) participated. Sixty-nine percent (n = 1050) had experienced pain during their hospital stay, of whom 71% (n = 697/978) reported complete pain relief. After adjustment for sex, age, general health, and hospital department, pain relief was associated independently with availability of physicians (odds ratio [OR] = 11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.3 to 36 for excellent vs. poor availability), having received information about pain and its management (OR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.8 to 4.2), regular pain assessment (OR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.8), modification of pain treatment when ineffective (OR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.6 to 5.6), and waiting less than 10 minutes for pain medications (OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.9 to 6.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Patient reports that recommended pain management procedures had been used were associated with better self-reported pain relief among hospitalized patients.
Bovier
Patrick A
PA
Quality of Care Unit, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland. patrick.bovier@hcuge.ch
Charvet
Agathe
A
Cleopas
Agatta
A
Vogt
Nicole
N
Perneger
Thomas V
TV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland