Do we really know if they are in pain? A cross-sectional study in hospitalised adult patients in Spain.

AIMS: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of pain in adult hospitalised patients, as well as to analyse the concordance between patient-reported and recorded pain and its impact on analgesic management. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. METHODS: The study was performed on a sample of 611 patients, from October to December 2017. Data were obtained from patient interviews, review of medical and nursing records and review of electronic prescribing. RESULTS: The prevalence of pain at the time of the interview was 36.7%. The median VAS score was 4. 90% of the patients had their pain assessed within the last 24 h; however, concordance between patient-reported pain and recorded pain in the nursing record was slight. CONCLUSION: Pain is still often documented inadequately. Despite the wide use of analgesics, half of the patients with moderate to severe pain do not have adequate pain management. A systematic assessment and recording of pain promotes appropriate analgesic prescription. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: The findings of our study provide insight into the main gaps in the correct management of pain in hospitalised patients. A systematic assessment and recording of the pain suffered by the patient facilitates its control and allows a better management of the analgesic prescription by the physician. This information could help hospital managers to develop training programmes on pain assessment and on the importance of doctor-nurse collaboration to improve pain management, increasing the quality of care and reducing hospital costs. REPORTING METHOD: The study has adhered to the relevant EQUATOR guidelines, according to The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.