Pain Management of Intensive Care Unit Patients

Ostfold Hospital Trust

Status: Completed

Conditions: Pain

Treatments: Other: Pain management algorithm

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01599663

Project number 3234

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an algorithm, where ICU patients pain are assessed systematically with valid pain assessment tools and where pain is treated after pain intensity score.

Full description

As a pre-test, before the intervention is introduced, data from ICU patients from four intensive care units (ICU) will be collected from medical records to evaluate current pain management practices. An algorithm, which is developed by a group of resource persons, is educated to the staff in three of the ICUs. The staff will also receive training and guiding in the use of the algorithm and the different pain assessment tools. Then the algorithm will be implemented and used in all the consecutive ICU patients. Post-test data is then collected in the three ICUs. In the fourth ICU, which will be used as a comparison unit, the same post-test data will be collected at the same time as data in intervention ICUs were collected. The algorithm will not be introduced here.

Enrollment: 650 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All consecutive patients admitted into these four ICUs

Exclusion criteria

• Patients will be excluded if they are not able to express pain behaviors (i.e. quadriplegic, are receiving neuromuscular blockade or muscle paralyzing drugs or are being investigated for brain death.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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650 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention units

Experimental group

Description:

A time period before the clinicians will be educated, trained and guided in the pain management algorithm, pre-test data will be collected in four ICU units. The clinicians in three of the ICU units will be educated, trained and guided in the pain management algorithm. The algorithm will then be used to assess and treat pain in all consecutive ICU patients. Post-test data will be collected a time period after the intervention is implemented.

Treatment:

Other: Pain management algorithm

Control unit

No Intervention group

Description:

The clinicians in the fourth ICU (control unit) will not be educated, trained and guided in the pain management algorithm. They will continue to assess and treat pain in all consecutive ICU patients as before. The unit, which will be used as a comparison unit, will collect the same post-test data at the same time as data in intervention ICUs were collected.