National project seeking to improve pain management in the emergency department setting: Findings from the NHMRC‐NICS National Pain Management Initiative

Abstract

Significant improvements in documentation of pain score and time to analgesia were demonstrated through a national project of targeted improvement. Parenteral narcotic use has a high level of adherence to recommended practice. An improvement in the effectiveness of analgesia in severe pain has not been clearly demonstrated in this study.

Improving Pain Relief in Elder Patients (I‐PREP): An Emergency Department Education and Quality Intervention

“…Two points or approximately 30% decrease in the pain score is considered clinically significant pain reduction . I‐PREP decreased pain by more than 62%, exceeding reductions achieved in prior studies, including the largest ED pain improvement effort to date at 45 hospitals in 16,627 individuals, which showed no decrease of pain intensity in those with severe pain . The authors believe that targeting delivery of the right drug at the right dose and more‐frequent reassessments and analgesic redosing led to this dramatic improvement.…”

Interventions to improve the management of pain in emergency departments: systematic review and narrative synthesis

“…It may also be the case that even with good quality evidence, there is no ‘magic bullet’ that can be recommended as a ‘solution’ for all. Due to the large degree of variation within multifaceted interventions, it was difficult to attribute any level of ‘success’ to an individual element of the intervention 25 55. As in other areas, the value of the intervention will depend upon the context, and an individual intervention may only work within the setting for which it was designed 10.…”

Does Ear Acupuncture Have a Role for Pain Relief in the Emergency Setting? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…[1][2][3][4] ED pain management is often characterized by delays in analgesia as well as inadequate pain-score reduction. 5,6 Furthermore, EDs continue to seek improved patient satisfaction with pain management. 7 The current mainstay of pain management is medication.…”