Patient satisfaction with pre-operative analgesia in acute trauma

We performed a prospective study of 100 consecutive patients admitted to th e Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit at the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary fo llowing acute injury. We assessed the patient's level of pain and perceptio n of pain relief in the period from their admission to hospital and surgery , or the first 24 hours as an inpatient using a questionnaire. We found tha t 54% of patients described their pain as 'severe' or 'the worst possible p ain'. Significantly, 36% of patients mould have liked more analgesia. We co nclude that patients are not receiving the analgesia they require following acute injury.