https://doi.org/10.4081/scenario.2023.568

Pain management in the Emergency Department: a phenomenological study on nurses’ experiences

Vol. 40 No. 4 (2023)
Submitted: 29 October 2023
Accepted: 2 December 2023
Published: 20 December 2023
Analgesia, caregivers, emergency department, emergency nursing, pain, pain assessment
Abstract Views: 422
PDF: 85
PDF (Italiano): 207
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Authors

Catia Lenza
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9768-8242
Emergency Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Sant'Anna e San Sebastiano, Caserta (CE); Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy.
Lara Meggiato
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8088-9509
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Emergency and SUEM, ULSS 3 Serenissima, Dolo (VE), Italy.
Vittoria Santuri
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0525-3996
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Emergency and SUEM, ULSS3 Serenissima, Mirano (VE), Italy.
Liliana Vivona
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Pronto Soccorso Centrale, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova (PD), Italy.
Stefano Sebastiani
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3865-9818
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Professional development and implementation of research in health professions, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy.
Boaz Gedaliahu Samolsky Dekel
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9954-4117
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy.
Guglielmo Imbriaco
guglielmo.imbriaco.work@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2385-989X
Master's degree in critical care nursing, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna; Eastern Emilia Operations Center 118, AUSL of Bologna , Italy.

Introduction: pain is a subjective and complex phenomenon, representing the first cause of access to Emergency Departments. Early management of pain through nurse-led analgesia protocols improves outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Aim: this study aims to analyse the experiences of triage nurses regarding the pain of adult patients admitted to the Emergency Department, highlighting the main barriers to an objective pain assessment and the strategies adopted to manage it, to improve proper pain management.

Materials and Methods: this qualitative study has an interpretative phenomenological design; data is collected through semi-structured interviews. The study is reported according to the COREQ-32 checklist.

Results: twenty nurses in the Veneto region (Italy) Emergency Departments were interviewed. Seven themes were identified: nurse-led analgesia protocols, pain management in children, non-pharmacological interventions, differences between acute and chronic pain, the role of caregivers of elderly/cognitively impaired patients, nurses’ personal experience of pain, and objectivity of nurses’ pain assessment.

Conclusions: the interviews revealed a series of factors hindering optimal pain management related to the setting, such as Emergency Department overcrowding, or categories of difficult patients, such as children or elderly people with cognitive impairments. Positive experiences have also emerged, such as the usefulness of non-pharmacological techniques and the participatory role of family members and caregivers, during pain assessment of cognitively impaired patients.

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How to Cite

Lenza, C., Meggiato, L., Santuri, V., Vivona, L., Sebastiani, S., Samolsky Dekel, B. G., & Imbriaco, G. (2023). Pain management in the Emergency Department: a phenomenological study on nurses’ experiences. Scenario® - Il Nursing Nella Sopravvivenza, 40(4). https://doi.org/10.4081/scenario.2023.568
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