Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Little is known about how continued pain after discharge from the emergency department is managed by patients, and how it may interfere with the functional status of patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate pain management practices, patient satisfaction with pain medications, and how continued pain after ED discharge may influence the functional status of patients who presented with chief complaints of abdominal, chronic, abscess, or trauma-related pain. ⋯ Patients in this study, on average, continued to experience pain for up to 96 hours after discharge from the emergency department. They reported a high level of pain relief from their ED-prescribed medications. However, interference with functions of daily living due to continued pain was substantial. Further studies are needed to examine the paradoxical reports of high satisfaction with pain relief yet substantial functional limitations experienced by patients after ED discharge.
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Abdominal pain is the leading cause of patient visits to the emergency department. Although patients present to the emergency department in search of relief from pain, few experience complete pain relief. The purpose of this study was to describe patients' expectations for pain relief and how communication of their pain to nurses and physicians affected their overall pain relief. ⋯ The results of this study showed that patients with abdominal pain have high expectations for pain relief; however, their expectations were not associated with their tendency to ask for pain medication or report actual relief of pain.