health
Data analysis improves hospital pain management
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 8, 2012
Systematic measurement can help predict which hospital patients will experience the most severe pain and give doctors a way to intervene sooner to provide relief, said an American Journal of Medical Quality study published online Sept. 25.
Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City examined data on nearly 40,000 adult inpatients to develop a model to predict pain severity. For example, patients with moderate or severe pain were likelier to be young, female or have longer inpatient stays, said the study (link).
Physicians and other members of an interdisciplinary pain management team at Mount Sinai used the model to develop a pain-relief intervention. Pain levels, as reported by patients, dropped 3.6% per quarter in 2010, compared with 2009. Patient satisfaction also rose.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/10/08/hlbf1008.htm.
