Table 1
Demographic and background data of the participants (n=101).
| Gender | n (%) |
| Male | 58 (57%) |
| Female | 43 (43%) |
| Age Groups | |
| <35 | 57 (57%) |
| >35 | 44 (44%) |
| Years of experience (range) | |
| <5 | 44 (44%) |
| >5 | 57 (57%) |
| Specialty | |
| Anaesthesiology | 12 (12%) |
| Internal Medicine | 24 (24%) |
| Surgical specialties | 57 (56%) |
| Emergency medicine | 8 (8%) |
| Region of Employment | |
| City | 87 (86%) |
| Suburb | 14 (14 %) |
| Participation on course/seminar regarding acute pain management during emergencies | |
| Yes | 16 (16%) |
| No | 85 (84%) |
| Existing pain protocol in their workplace | |
| Yes | 24 (26%) |
| No | 69 (74%) |
| Unaware | 8 |
Figure 1
Route of administering analgesia.
Figure 2
First choice of analgesic.
Figure 3
Drugs easily accessible in workplace.
Figure 4
Awareness levels of different methods of pain relief.
Table 2
Frequencies and percentages of correct responses on questions regarding opioids and opiophobia.
| MCQs | “correct” answers n (%) | “incorrect” answers n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Do you feel comfortable giving opioids for acute pain management? | Much 33 (33%) | The rest 68 (67 %) |
| Lickert | ||
| Opioids can hide the diagnosis, therefore should not be given when the reason a person is in pain remains unknown. | Disagree 46 (46%) | The rest 55 (54 %) |
| An increased need for opioid analgesics is a sign the patient becomes dependent. | Disagree 60 (59 %) | The rest 41 (41 %) |
Figure 5
Reasons for not administering opioids as analgesic.
Table 3
Frequencies and percentages of correct responses on questions regarding pain assessment.
| MCQs | “correct” answers n (%) | “incorrect” answers n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Which of the following pain assessment tools do you use more frequently in your everyday practice? | NRS 32 (33%) VAS 4 (4%) | The rest 62 (63%) 3 unaware of tools |
| When do you consider the analgesic regimen you provided successful? | When the score on the pain assessment tool I use becomes reduced 51 (52%) | The rest 49 (49 %) |
| Do you reassess a patient after providing analgesia? | Yes always 70 (69%) | The rest 31 (31%) |
| Lickert | ||
| Vital signs are a reliable way to assess the intensity and the severity of pain a patient feels. | Disagree 31 (31%) | The rest 70 (69 %) |
| Absence of expression of pain by the patients signifies lack of pain. | Disagree 82 (81%) | The rest 19 (19 %) |
| Pain assessment tools are necessary. | Agree 76 (75%) | The rest 25 (25%) |
| The most reliable sign of the severity of pain someone is experiencing is the patient's description. | Agree 59 (58%) | The rest 42 (42%) |
Table 4
Frequencies and percentages of correct responses on questions regarding pain perceptions.
| Lickert | “correct” answers | “incorrect” answers |
|---|---|---|
| Due to time shortage when handling emergencies, there is no time to achieve effective analgesia. | Disagree 42 (42 %) | The rest 59 (58%) |
| Up to diagnosis, no analgesia should be given to the patient. | Disagree 62 (61%) | The rest 39 (39 %) |
| On patients having consumed alcohol, no analgesia should be given. | Disagree 57 (56%) | The rest 44 (44%) |
| Complete pain alleviation in the ED is not a realistic goal. | Disagree 69 (68%) | The rest 32 (32%) |
| Patients with no or low level of consciousness cannot perceive pain. | Disagree 80 (79%) | The rest 21 (21%) |
| If a patient's attention can be distracted from his/her pain, then the pain is not severe. | Disagree 45 (45%) | The rest 56 (55%) |
| Administration of placebo to patients in pain is a useful way to understand if their pain is real. | Disagree 39 (38%) | The rest 52 (52%) |
| If a medical doctor does not consider a patient's condition painful, he/she should not administer analgesia. | Disagree 71 (70%) | The rest 30 (30%) |
| Same stimuli on different patients cause pain of the same severity and intensity. | Disagree 80 (79%) | The rest 21 (21%) |
| It is a patient's right to seek pain relief. | Agree 87 (86%) | The rest 14 (14%) |
| A patient's opinion should not be included during decision making with regard to pain relief. | Disagree 70 (69%) | The rest 31 (31%) |
| The opinion of my peers in my workplace, strongly affects the way I handle a patient's pain. | Disagree 51 (50%) | The rest 50 (50%) |
| Each patient's perception of acute pain is unique due to factors such as sex, cultural and religious beliefs and previous experiences that influence a patient's response to pain. | Agree 82 (81%) | The rest 19 (19%) |
| Medication for pain relief in the ED should be given only when the pain is severe. | Disagree 76 (75%) | The rest 25 (25%) |
Figure 6
Patient subgroups that cause reluctance to administer analgesia.