Pain Evaluation and Treatment in the Emergency Department

Completed

• Conditions: Pain, Acute; Emergencies
• Interventions: Other: Pain evaluation

• Registration Number: NCT02980172
• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Geneva

Brief Summary

All patients admitted in Geneva University Hospitals (GUH) emergency department (ED) are triaged using the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS), a 4-level symptom-based triage scale. At the end of the triage process the triage nurse has to choose an emergency level and a main presenting complaint among a listing of 98 presenting complaints. The SETS recommends a pain evaluation for 44 out of the SETS 98 presenting complaint.

The primary objective of the study is to determine whether pain is correctly evaluated when required by the SETS criteria. The secondary objectives are (1) to evaluate whether an appropriate treatment is delivered when pain is present, and (2) to identify predictors of pain evaluation and treatment.

Detailed Description

All patients admitted in Geneva University Hospitals (GUH) emergency department (ED) are triaged using the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS), a 4-level symptom-based triage scale. At the end of the triage process the triage nurse has to choose an emergency level and a main presenting complaint among a listing of 98 presenting complaints. The SETS recommends a pain evaluation for 44 out of the SETS 98 presenting complaint.

After this evaluation, a protocol standardize administration of analgesia for patients presenting pain.

The primary objective of the study is to determine whether pain is correctly evaluated when required by the SETS criteria for the 44 presenting complaints.

The secondary objectives are (1) to evaluate whether an appropriate treatment is delivered when pain is present, and (2) to identify predictors of pain evaluation and treatment.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2016-11
• Study First Submitted: 2016-11-24
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-12-01
• Study First Posted: 2016-12-02
• Primary Completion: 2017-06
• Study Completion: 2017-06
• Status Verified: 2017-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-07-26
• Last Update Posted: 2017-07-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 31942

Inclusion Criteria

• adult (>= 16y) patients admitted at GUH ED during one year
• presenting complaint requiring pain evaluation accordingly to the SETS criteria

Exclusion Criteria

• < 16 y
• presenting complaint that does not require a pain evaluation accordingly to the SETS criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Pain triage complaint	Pain evaluation	Patients admitted at GUH ED triaged with a main complaint requiring a pain evaluation.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of patients with appropriate pain evaluation	Within 24 hours after ED admission	Percentage of patients with a documented assessement of pain using a numerical scale (0 to 10)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of patients with appropriate pain treatment	Within 24 hours after ED admission	Percentage of patients who received an appropriate treatment accordingly to the ED recommendations.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Geneva University Hospitals, ED; 🇨🇭 Geneva, Switzerland