• Ana Maria Calil, Cibele Andracioli de Mattos Pimenta, and Dário Birolini.
• School of Nursing, University of São PauloSP, Brasil.
• Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2007 Oct 1;62(5):591-8.

IntroductionPain is a common occurrence in trauma victims that provokes harmful effects on the body. However, there is a gap in the literature about this problem, which is still underevaluated and undertreated in Brazil, especially concerning the use of opioids.ObjectivesTo estimate pain intensity and the use of analgesia in traffic accident victims.Materials And MethodsA prospective study, involving 100 accident victims (traffic accidents), who were interviewed at 2 separate posttraumatic moments, in a reference hospital of the city of São Paulo. All the medications used for these victims were recorded. All patients displayed a Glasgow Coma Scale (ECGl) of 15, had stable hemodynamic parameters, and were brought directly from the scene of the accident.ResultsPain of moderate and severe intensity (in 90% of cases) was the most noted. After a 3-hour period, a significant number of patients with pain (48%) continued without analgesia, and few opioids were used.ConclusionPain is a common event associated with trauma. It is still undertreated and underevaluated in Brazil, and the use of opioids for admittedly very severe pain is not frequently employed in the Emergency Service even in hemodynamically stable patients and with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 15.

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