Pain Assessment and Its Effect on Pain Management During Emergency Medical Services—A Descriptive Study in the Tampere University Hospital Area of Finland
Authors' conclusion
The prevalence of pain assessment is relatively low.
Study context
- Population
- Patients encountered by Emergency Medical Service (EMS) over a one-month period in the Tampere University Hospital area of Finland, 2021
- Participants
- 7,245 patients
- Outcome
- Prevalence of pain assessment (NRS) in EMS
Methodological detailsdescriptive, register-based, data collected prospectively
- Descriptive
- Register-based
- Data collected prospectively
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pain assessment
Pain assessed once
2586
36%
Pain reassessed a second time (of those assessed)
707
27%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Pain intensity by age and dispatch category
- Age and dispatch category affected pain intensity
- P < 0.001
- Patients under 66 reported higher pain intensity than patients over 66 years
- Pain intensity minimal in dispatch categories "oxygen deficiency" and "non-mechanical accident or exposure" vs other categories
Pain numeric rating scale (NRS) ≥4 among patients with a pain assessment
- Pain equal to or greater than 4 on the NRS
- 611 (24%)
Pain intensity and pain medication
- High NRS level associated with higher likelihood of administering potent pain medication
Original publication
Pain Assessment and Its Effect on Pain Management During Emergency Medical Services—A Descriptive Study in the Tampere University Hospital Area of Finland. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. Published 7 May 2025. doi:10.
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