An audit of patient perception compared with medical and nursing staff estimation of pain during burn dressing changes

In order to prescribe appropriate analgesia for burns dressing changes the pain experienced by 30 burned patients during this procedure was recorded. Patients received analgesia prior to their dressing changes according to th e current protocol in the burns unit. During the same period the medical an d nursing staff in the unit who were involved in prescribing and administer ing the analgesia for the dressing change, were asked to assess the severit y of pain that they thought patients experienced during dressing changes. P atients recorded their worst pain as none or mild in 64% of procedures. In contrast, no surgeon and only one nurse, rated pain as none or mild. The di screpancy between severity of pain recorded by patients and the pain predic ted by staff prescribing and administering analgesia has clinical implicati ons.