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. CONCLUSION: 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.
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. CONCLUSION: 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.
Authors: Dan Benhamou; Marco Berti; Gerhard Brodner; Jose De Andres; Gaetano Draisci; Mariano Moreno-Azcoita; Edmund A M Neugebauer; Wolfgang Schwenk; Luis Miguel Torres; Eric Viel Journal: Pain Date: 2007-08-20 Impact factor: 6.961
Authors: Brian M Block; Spencer S Liu; Andrew J Rowlingson; Anne R Cowan; John A Cowan; Christopher L Wu Journal: JAMA Date: 2003-11-12 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: R Likar; W Jaksch; T Aigmüller; M Brunner; T Cohnert; J Dieber; W Eisner; S Geyrhofer; G Grögl; F Herbst; R Hetterle; F Javorsky; H G Kress; O Kwasny; S Madersbacher; H Mächler; R Mittermair; J Osterbrink; B Stöckl; M Sulzbacher; B Taxer; B Todoroff; A Tuchmann; A Wicker; A Sandner-Kiesling Journal: Schmerz Date: 2017-10 Impact factor: 1.107
Authors: W Jaksch; B Messerer; H Baumgart; C Breschan; G Fasching; G Grögl; C Justin; B Keck; B Kraus-Stoisser; A Lischka; M Mayrhofer; M Platzer; D Schoberer; W Stromer; B Urlesberger; M Vittinghoff; S Zaheri; A Sandner-Kiesling Journal: Schmerz Date: 2014-02 Impact factor: 1.107