• Jacob Dreiher, Tatiana Talya Fleishman, and Pesach Shvartzman.
• Division of Health in the Community, Pain and Palliative Care Unit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
• Pain Med. 2021 Sep 8; 22 (9): 1946-1953.

ContextPain is a common complaint in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, and it is often inadequately assessed and inappropriately treated.ObjectivesThe study goal was to preliminarily evaluate pain management in MHD patients.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013-2015. A sample of 277 MHD patients who reported pain within the last 24 hours from five hospital hemodialysis units in Israel were interviewed and evaluated. Study tools included the Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Management Index (PMI), demographic and clinical characteristics. Pharmacy computerized data were reviewed to identify the type of analgesics used.ResultsMean pain level was 7.2 ± 2.2 (median: 8). Pain level was mild in 17 (6.1%), moderate in 120 (43.3%) and severe in 140 (50.5%) of patients. Only 185 participants (66.8%) were treated with analgesics during the year prior to the interview. Of these, 99 (53.5%) received opioids. Using the PMI to preliminarily assess the appropriateness of the treatment, 214 (77.3%) of patients with pain in the last 24 hours were undertreated, and 52 patients (18.8%) were appropriately treated. In a multivariable analysis, factors associated with inappropriate treatment were severe pain intensity and a higher Functional Independent Measure (FIM). A lower FIM was associated with opioid use in a multivariable analysis.ConclusionsAccording to the PMI, most dialysis patients were found to be inappropriately treated. About one third received opioids, but even among them, inappropriate treatment was common. Pain management in MHD patients needs to be improved.© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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