UNSCHEDULED READMISSIONS FOR UNCONTROLLED SYMPTOMS - A HEALTH-CARE CHALLENGE FOR NURSES

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of nursing strateg ies to improve cancer pain management on hospital readmission for unco ntrolled pain. Strategies include implementing a pain resource nurse p rogram (PRN), making pain management a focus in the continuous quality improvement process of the institution and creating a supportive care service. Admissions were compared before and after implementation of the strategies. Results for 1989 to 1990 revealed 5772 total admission with 4.4% (255) admissions for uncontrolled pain; results for 1992 to 1993 revealed 4066 total admissions with 3.0% (121) admissions for un controlled pain. Findings indicate that strategies were effective in r educing the number of readmissions for uncontrolled pain.