title: Pain in the emergency department: adherence to an implemented treatment protocol.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although pain is one of the most common presenting complaints in the Emergency Department (ED), pain management is often inadequate. Pain management protocols have been shown to be useful. The objective of this study was to assess the adherence to an already implemented pain management protocol in an urban ED.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of a prospective single centre cohort study on patient preferences for analgesia in the ED. Patient charts were reviewed with a focus on selection, timing and dosage of analgesics according to a visual analogue scale (VAS) on arrival and during the ED stay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and thirty-seven patient charts were reviewed. The adherence to the implemented pain management protocol was 42% at the time of initial evaluation and 43% during the course of therapy in all patients. Forty-two percent of the study population were discharged with at least moderate pain. However, 43% of the patients discharged with pain did not request analgesics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The benefits of pain management protocols are proven. However, adherence to these protocols needs to be monitored regularly in order to optimise pain management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frank-Peter
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Stephan
authors.forename: Christian H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: Jaqueline S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grether
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Delport-Lehnen
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bingisser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics