Pain prevalence, severity, assessment and management in hospitalized adult patients: a result of a multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction. The measurement of pain prevalence among the patients admitted to hospital, estimated that pain remains a common problem for patients. Methods. This is a multi-center cross sectional study carried out in Italian Hospitals, where data was collected in only one day. All patients aged at least 18 years, hospitalized able or unable to communicate, were eligible to be included in the study. Patients with curarization or quadriplegia (any cause) were excluded. Results. Some hospitals and residential structures took part in our research, 26 centers in total. Pain prevalence has been observed in 268 patients (38%) (95% CI = 34%-41%) (range within wards 31-47%). Women are at higher risk than men (RR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.29-1.95). Pain prevalence was more observed at 10.9 (+1.46) days after surgery. Severe pain has been observed in 148 (21.2%) cases. Pain was managed in 223 (83.2%) cases, and it was predominantly treated with the administration of paracetamol (n=55; 24.7%) within 30 minutes after having ascertained the presence of pain. Conclusions. Pain is reported by about 4 out of 10 adults, with a higher prevalence of cases in women, and its appearance does not depend on the care setting. In order to assess the prevalence of pain carefully, an Italian study that involves all regions and a large number of the centers, may be necessary.