THE PREVALENCE OF PAIN IN HOSPITALIZED-PATIENTS

BACKGROUND: There are few studies evaluating the presence of pain in h ospitalized patients. Different authors have suggested interest in epi demiological studies to establish the characteristics of pain at a hos pitalary level. The present study was initiated to determine the preva lence of pain in acute and chronic patients admitted to hospital and t o establish the relation of the pain with the prescription of analgesi cs. METHODS: Pediatric, acute and chronic adult patients pertaining to a hospital in Sabadell (Barcelona) were included in the study. Patien ts from resucitation, ICU, neonatology and the emergency wards were ex cluded. The variables studied were presence of pain and the existence of analgesic prescription. The first was determined by interview with the patient, while the second was obtained directly from the clinical history. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of the 217 adult patients with ac ute pathology manifest pain and in 45 % of them total analgesics had b een prescribed. The prevalence of pain was 61 % among the 41 pediatric patients and 35 % among the 98 adults with chronic disease. Prescript ion of analgesics was observed in 51 and 39 %, respectively in the abo ve groups of patients. The relation between the presence of pain and a ntialgic prescription was variable according to the groups. It must be emphasized that 50 % of acute adult patients with pain did not have p rescription of analgesics. Pain was present in all the pediatric patie nts with some analgesic prescribed. Sixty-eight percent of the chronic patients with prescribed analgesics also experienced pain. CONCLUSION S: The prevalence of pain in the hospital environment is high, not onl y in pediatric but also in adult and geriatric patients. The high numb er of patients who do not receive analgesics despite pain and those in whom the treatment does not totally erradicate the symptoms is of not e. Analgesic therapy must acquire greater revelance in hospitalary ass istance.