None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: Pain is the leading reason for patients to seek health care, accounting for up to 78% of presentations to the emergency department (ED). Appropriate pain management is the key to quality patient care. Despite effective pain management being a major treatment goal, the underutilisation of pain relief in ED remains prevalent. Aims: This study aims to investigate the impact of pain relief being prescribed in the ED and its effect on the pain scores for patients who have been discharged from the ED with a fracture in a long bone. This study will also investigate whether stronger pain relief are prescribed to patients and used following discharge from the emergency department. Participants: patients of age 17 or older with a long-bone fractures discharged from the hospital. Methods: Follow-up phone survey conducted at one week post-discharge from the ED. The survey will include questions about type of analgesia received and/or prescribed, filling of prescriptions, other pain medications used, adequacy of pain relief within the Emergency Department and following discharge, non-pharmacological pain relief, and interference with activities of daily living and side effects. Expected outcomes: 1) To improve understanding of analgesia prescribing practices of patients discharged from the emergency department within the NSLHD. 2) To improve care of patients with long-bone fractures with improved clinician and nursing awareness of severity of pain and analgesia.
Interventions
Patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with isolated long bone fracture (humerus, clavicle, tibia, fibula, radius, ulna) will be approached for consent to participant in a follow-up telephone interview seven days following their discharge. All interviews will be conducted by a trained member of the ED research team.
The survey will take approximately 10minutes and include information regarding the type of analgesia received and/or prescribed, filling of prescriptions, other pain m
Patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with isolated long bone fracture (humerus, clavicle, tibia, fibula, radius, ulna) will be approached for consent to participant in a follow-up telephone interview seven days following their discharge. All interviews will be conducted by a trained member of the ED research team. The survey will take approximately 10minutes and include information regarding the type of analgesia received and/or prescribed, filling of prescriptions, other pain medications used, adequacy of pain relief within the Emergency Department and following discharge, non-pharmacological pain relief, and interference with activities of daily living and side effects.
Sponsors
Emergency Department, Royal North Shore Hospital
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
17 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Patients 17 years of age and older • Isolated long bone fracture (humerus, clavicle, tibia, fibula, radius, ulna) • Discharged from the Emergency Department • Available seven days after discharge to respond to the phone questionnaire • Written consent obtained and willingness to comply with the study
Exclusion criteria
• Were admitted to hospital • Had future planned operative management (as these patients may receive received patient controlled analgesia (PCA), pain team consultation, or other analgesia after operative fixation • Non-English- speaking patients • Refusal of consent • Assessed by a member of the ED Research team to not have the capacity to independently provide informed consent
Outcome results
None listed