The use and outcomes of non-pharmacological analgesia in the adult emergency department

Background The treatment of pain in the emergency department (ED) has historically relied on pharmacological analgesia. However, little is known about the concurrent use of non-pharmacological analgesia. Aims/Objectives This research explores the self-reported use and outcomes of non-pharmacological analgesia in adult ED patients with moderate to severe pain. Methods This is a cross-sectional study in an adult ED of self-reported use of non-pharmacological pain management via a patient-reported outcome measure. The results are presented with descriptive statistics and multivariable modelling. Results 45.8% (n=296) of all respondents used non-pharmacological interventions. The most used non-pharmacological interventions are hot packs (34.9%, n=103), distraction (22.3%, n=66), and cold packs (12.9%, n=38). In multivariate modelling, females, patients who did not receive pre-hospital analgesia, and daily average access block time all affected the use of non-pharmacological analgesia. Within a multivariable model, non-pharmacological analgesia increased the amount of pain relief achieved. Conclusion Non-pharmacological analgesia use is affected by gender, treatment before the ED and ED workload. Nevertheless, clear benefits to the use of non-pharmacological analgesia were seen. Further work must be undertaken to encourage providers’ use of this modality and capture any additional benefits to the patient.