• Cynthia C Klaess and Carla R Jungquist.
• WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina. Electronic address: cklaess@wakemed.org.
• Pain Manag Nurs. 2018 Jun 1; 19 (3): 222-229.

BackgroundKetamine is increasingly utilized for a variety of pain management challenges. Audience comments from a ketamine presentation at the 2015 American Society of Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) Conference reflected wide variation in ketamine practices as well as barriers to use.AimThe goal was to gain a greater understanding of ASPMN member practice patterns and barriers related to ketamine as adjunctive therapy for pain management.DesignA questionnaire survey design was used.SettingsRespondents represented 35 states and 2 countries.ParticipantsThe participants were 146 respondents from ASPMN membership (1,485 members).MethodsThe survey was distributed by ASPMN on SurveyMonkey. Practice setting and ketamine administration practices were assessed with areas for comments. Results were reviewed using frequencies to describe responses and formatted into tables. Comments were individually reviewed and grouped into common themes.ResultsAdministration of ketamine as an analgesic was reported by 63% of respondents. Continuous intravenous ketamine infusions were the most common route of administration (65%); however, wide variability in dosing and length of therapy was reported. A wide variety of practices and challenges related to ketamine utilization were noted.ConclusionsNumerous studies have indicated the analgesic benefits of ketamine in pain management. The lack of practice standardization has created challenges to its consistent use and outcome measurement. Additionally, the off-label use of ketamine for pain management creates its own unique challenges. However, given the current national climate with intense focus on pain management, interdisciplinary practitioners have an ideal opportunity to evaluate ketamine's use in a comprehensive approach to pain management.Copyright © 2018 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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