Pain Evaluation and Treatment in the Emergency Department

University Hospitals (UH)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Emergencies; Pain, Acute

Treatments: Other: Pain evaluation

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02980172

CCER 2016-00205

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 31,942 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 16+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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

Trial design

31,942 participants in 1 patient group

Pain triage complaint

Description:

Patients admitted at GUH ED triaged with a main complaint requiring a pain evaluation.

Treatment:

Other: Pain evaluation