Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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This study was conducted to describe the prevalence of pain in the emergency department and to identify factors that may contribute to its treatment. ⋯ This study revealed a very high prevalence of pain among patients in the emergency department and showed that, overall, pain was poorly treated. The findings suggest that chest pain is the only type of pain routinely relieved in the emergency department. An anecdotal finding was that 31 patients said they would refuse pain medications if such medications were offered. Twenty-five patients reported fear of addiction as their reason for this refusal.
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Older adults constitute 20% of the ED population. Of older patients discharged from the emergency department, 40% receive at least one new medication to add to their already complex medication regimen. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of increasing medication complexity on knowledge of newly prescribed medications for older adults discharged from the emergency department. ⋯ The increase in medication complexity that results from ED therapeutic intervention may decrease knowledge of medications. A heightened emphasis should be placed on effective medication teaching, counseling, and follow-up for older adult ED patients.