Critically Ill Patients
Conditions
Keywords
pain scores, critically ill patients, ICU, pain management, pain measurement
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a pain training program and systematic measurement of pain scores on actual pain levels and the use of analgesics in critically ill patients.
Detailed description
Systematic evaluation of pain, though still not common practice in all ICUs, is recommended in clinical practice guidelines for optimal pain management. Pain is a frequently experienced problem in patients in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU). In search of literature to support the need for introduction of a pain management system and to train the entire health staff in our department little information was found concerning the effects of pain training and pain management systems in the ICU. The small number of available studies may be explained by the difficulty of systematic pain measurement in ICU patients, mainly due to the inability to communicate effectively with these patients.
Interventions
OTHERA Pain training program and pain measurement
Comparing patients treated with and without analgesia and sedation protocol
Sponsors
St. Antonius Hospital
Study design
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* All patients admitted to the ICU of the St. Antonius hospital, \>18 years old.
Exclusion criteria
* Patients who are suspected to be brain-dead
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Pain scores using the numerical rating scale, rated by the attending nurse and by the patient if possible. | 3 times a day |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Dose of all pain medication (morphine, paracetamol) per patient | 24 hr |
| Length of stay in the ICU | ICU stay |
| Pneumonia | ICU stay |
| 30 day Mortality | within 30 days |
Outcome results
None listed