The quality of pain management in German hospitals.
BACKGROUND
The Pain-Free Hospital Project was initiated in 2003 with the aim of improving pain management throughout Germany. We assessed the current state of pain management in German hospitals.


METHODS
From 2004 to 2006, data were obtained anonymously from 2252 patients who had undergone surgery, and 999 who had been treated non-surgically, in a total of 25 hospitals. They were interviewed about the intensity of pain they had experienced and about the effectiveness of its treatment.


RESULTS
No pain at all was reported by 12.4% of patients who had undergone surgery and by 16.7% of the non-surgically treated patients. Moderate to severe pain at rest was reported by 29.5% of the surgical group and 36.8% of the non-surgical group. More than 50% of the overall group reported pain on movement. 55% of the surgical group, and 57% of the non-surgical group, were dissatisfied with their pain management. Peak pain tended to occur outside normal working hours. No analgesic treatment at all was given to 39% of patients in the non-surgical group, even though they were in pain; the corresponding figure for the surgical group was 15% (a significant difference, p<0.001). Inadequately effective pain management was reported by 45.6% of patients in the non-surgical group and 29.6% in the operative group (again, a significant difference. Cancer patients were treated more often with potent opioids.


CONCLUSIONS
Severe postoperative pain is still too common among hospitalized patients, particularly pain that is induced by movement. Patients being treated on non-surgical wards also often suffer severe pain needlessly. Pain management seems to be worse for non-surgical patients (cancer patients excepted) than for surgical patients: waiting times for medication are longer, and ineffective medications are given more often. On the other hand, a number of hospitals provide positive examples of the potential effectiveness of pain management for both surgical and non-surgical patients.
Maier
Christoph
C
Abteilung für Schmerztherapie, Berufsgenossenschaftliches Universitäts -klinikum Bergmanns -heil GmbH, Bochum, Germany.
Nestler
Nadja
N
Richter
Helmut
H
Hardinghaus
Winfried
W
Pogatzki-Zahn
Esther
E
Zenz
Michael
M
Osterbrink
Jürgen
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000700:Analgesics