The Use of “As-Needed” Range Orders for Opioid Analgesics in the Management of Pain:

[Analgesic and opioid-sparing effects of a fixed combination of diclofenac and orphenadrine in the early postoperative period in cardiac surgery patients]

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a multimodal scheme of postoperative analgesia based on a fixed combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac against the background of patient-controlled analgesia with morphine in the early postoperative period in cardiac surgery patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective, randomized, comparative study evaluated two analgesic regimens. In 20 patients (group 1), «Neodolpasse» (a fixed combination of 30 mg Orphenadrine and 75 mg Diclofenac) was administered immediately after trachea extubation. The second injection was performed at VAS>50 mm not earlier than 12 hours after the first one. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine was started 2 hours after extubation, 20 patients of group 2 who were used PCA with Morphine as monotherapy. The intensity of pain taking into account the motor activity of patients was assessed a 100 mm visual-analog scale (VAS), as an additional objective criterion for the effectiveness of analgesia, the method of incentive spirometry was used.

RESULTS

A decrease in the severity of pain according to VAS from an average of 41 to 19 mm (p=0.036) was achieved already by the 1st hour from the start of Neodolpasse infusion, and in 80% of patients this effect persisted for 24 hours. 2 patients (10%) needed the administration of the 2nd dose after 12 hours. The infusion of Morphine was started 2 hours after extubation, a significant decrease in pain intensity was noted only at 4th hour, a significant decrease in pain intensity was noted only by 4 hours, and significant differences in the severity of pain in the comparison groups persisted at almost all stages of the study. The analgesic effect of the combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac had a positive effect on the function of respiration system with an increase in MILC by 1.5 times from the beginning of the study. In group 2, the observed adverse effects were associated with the use of Morphine and depended on its dose. No adverse effects of Neodolpasse were noted. The total 24 hour consumption of Morphine at PCA averaged 22.6 mg, and in the Neodolpasse group - 9.35 mg (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

There were demonstrated high analgesic efficacy, safety and significant opioid-sparing effect of a fixed combination of orphenadrine and diclofenac in the early postoperative period of cardiac surgery patients.

Effect of Pain Management Electronic Order Sets on Opioid Use in Adult Rib Fracture Patients

BACKGROUND

Inpatient pain management order sets are an important and necessary tool for standardizing and enhancing pain management for patients with traumatic injury. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of revised inpatient pain management electronic order sets on opioid usage for patients with significant chest wall trauma.

METHODS

A retrospective pre-post study was conducted for adult patients with 3 or more rib fractures admitted to the hospital at a Level 1 trauma center. Two periods were compared: 1 year prior to the order set changes and the period immediately after the revisions were implemented. Differences between medians were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis test by ranks, and differences between nominal variables were assessed with χ test.

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients were analyzed for each period. There was no significant change between periods in the total amount of opioid received per day. There was a significant reduction in intravenous (IV) opioid use on the general inpatient floor (61% vs. 24%, p = .01), as well as in the percentage of patients who received IV opioid within 24 hr of discharge (40% vs. 4%, p = .002).

CONCLUSION

Revised inpatient pain management order sets did not reduce overall opioid usage in a population of patients with 3 or more rib fractures. However, significant improvements were noted in decreased IV opioid usage on the general inpatient floors and within 24 hr of patient discharge from the hospital.

Design and Implementation of an Analgesia, Sedation, and Paralysis Order Set to Enhance Compliance of pro re nata Medication Orders with Joint Commission Medication Management Standards in a Pediatric ICU

BACKGROUND

The use of pro re nata (PRN) medication orders increases nursing flexibility and efficiency of bedside patient care. However, misuse and/or ambiguity of PRN medication orders may increase the propensity for medication errors. The Joint Commission has Medication Management (MM) standards to mitigate such risks. This quality improvement study with a pre-post design aimed to increase compliance of PRN sedative and analgesic orders with use of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and human factors risk assessment methodologies in a pediatric ICU (PICU).

METHODS

Staff education and a PICU analgesia, sedation, and paralysis order set, with predefined PRN orders, were implemented to enhance PRN medication compliance with Joint Commission MM standards. The primary goal was to achieve and maintain a weekly average compliance of ≥ 90%. Proportions of compliant PRN analgesic and sedative orders before and after interventions were compared.

RESULTS

Weekly average PRN orders compliance increased from 62.0% ± 9.2% to 77.7% ± 10.1% after staff education was implemented (p = 0.013). After order set implementation, weekly average compliance further increased to 93.2% ± 3.6% (p < 0.0001) and remained > 90% until the end of the study period.

CONCLUSION

Interdisciplinary synthesis using FMEA and human factors risk assessment is effective for identifying system failure modes associated with Joint Commission MM standard noncompliance. Implementation of an order set with forced functionality to include order information compliant with Joint Commission MM standards can enhance and maintain Joint Commission-compliant PRN medication orders.

Pragmatic Opioid Use in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

The management of painful diabetic neuropathy poses a tough clinical challenge. Although opioid analgesics are considered as second- or third-line agents in the management of moderate-to-severe neuropathic pain, prescription of opioids for this indication is higher than expected. This narrative review is a recommendation on how to ensure pragmatic use of opioids for those with painful diabetic neuropathy while avoiding complications such as opioid overdose, opioid diversion and the development of opioid-use disorder. Risk mitigation strategies at the level of the clinician include periodic assessment and documentation of clinical details, treatment history and psychosocial status. Using a multimodal approach to pain management, medication counselling, adherence monitoring programmes, evidence-based opioid dosing strategies and empowering patients to make treatment decisions are effective strategies in reducing risk associated with prolonged opioid use. At the organisational and policy level, using prescription drug monitoring programmes, carrying out periodic opioid utilisation reviews and providing training to patients and physicians on safe opioid use are useful, implementable strategies.

Common Challenges to Effective ABCDEF Bundle Implementation: The ICU Liberation Campaign Experience

Although growing evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of the ABCDEF bundle (A, assess, prevent, and manage pain; B, both spontaneous awakening and spontaneous breathing trials; C, choice of analgesic and sedation; D, delirium: assess, prevent, and manage; E, early mobility and exercise; and F, family engagement and empowerment), intensive care unit providers often struggle with how to reliably and consistently incorporate this interprofessional, evidence-based intervention into everyday clinical practice. Recently, the Society of Critical Care Medicine completed the ICU Liberation ABCDEF Bundle Improvement Collaborative, a 20-month, nationwide, multicenter quality improvement initiative that formalized dissemination and implementation strategies and tracked key performance metrics to overcome barriers to ABCDEF bundle adoption. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the most challenging implementation issues that Collaborative teams experienced, and to provide some practical advice from leading experts on ways to overcome these barriers.

Assessing the Impact of the Position Paper "Prescribing and Administering Opioid Doses Based Solely on Pain Intensity"

BACKGROUND

A task force of members of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) authored a position paper "Prescribing and Administering Opioid Doses Based Solely on Pain Intensity." Some of the authors of this ASPMN position paper presented a concurrent session at the September 2016 ASPMN National Conference discussing the content of the position paper. As a follow-up, the authors designed a research study to identify the impact of the position statement in facilitating change in institutional practice of dosing analgesics based solely on pain intensity.

AIMS

Our aim was to ascertain the effect of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing ASPMN position paper "Prescribing and Administering Opioid Doses Based Solely on Pain Intensity" (2016) on changes in institutional practices.

DESIGN

The study used an online anonymous questionnaire that included open-ended questions.

SETTINGS

An anonymous electronic questionnaire was used to assess the impact across the United States.

PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS

Participants were members of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing.

METHODS

An eight-question anonymous questionnaire created through Survey Monkey was sent to members of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing via an e-mail listserv and the monthly e-newsletter.

RESULTS

Of the 142 members who consented to participate in the study, 120 members answered one or more questions. Those who responded to the question about changes in practice, only 13 (11.1%) reported that the position paper had influenced a change in practice at their institution. The majority, 89 (75%), reported that practice had not changed in their institution.

CONCLUSIONS

Among those clinicians who participated in this study, the position paper "Prescribing and Administering Opioid Doses Based Solely on Pain Intensity" reportedly had minimal impact on changing institutional practices.

Predictors of Nurses' Intentions to Administer As-Needed Opioid Analgesics for Pain Relief to Postoperative Orthopaedic Patients in the Acute Care Setting

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery experience severe postoperative pain that is frequently undertreated. No study was found that examined the predictors of nurses' intentions to administer as needed (PRN) opioid analgesics for postoperative pain relief.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine what constructs from the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) can predict nurses' intentions to administer PRN opioid analgesics for pain relief to hospitalized postoperative orthopaedic patients.

METHODS

A nonexperimental, cross-sectional quantitative format was used. The sample consisted of 800 nurses. Data collection was done by survey.

RESULTS

Path analysis revealed the significant predictors of nurses' intention to administer opioid analgesics to be self-efficacy (β= 0.15), normative beliefs (β= 0.21), and salience (importance) of the behavior (β= 0.25).

CONCLUSION

The study showed that the IBM constructs are useful for predicting intentions toward performance of a professional behavior. The inclusion of self-efficacy, underlying beliefs, and salience of the behavior was new and unique contributions to the existing body of knowledge.

The ethics of postoperative pain management: Mapping nurses' views

AIM

We explored the positions of nurses working in hospitals regarding the acceptability of refusing to give a repeat dose of painkiller to a postoperative patient who requested it. These positions were compared with that of lay people, physicians, and other health professionals.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Factorial design was used to assess the impact of 6 situational factors: the patient's age, the current level of pain as assessed by the nurse, the number of requests, the level of risk associated with the administration of a repeat dose, the outcome of surgery, and the giving of alternative mild analgesics. We implemented a combination of scenario technique and of cluster analysis. Data were collected from April 2013 to December 2015.

PARTICIPANTS

138 registered nurses, 32 nurse's aides, 33 physicians, 23 psychologists, and 169 lay people participated in the study.

RESULTS

We found 4 qualitatively different meaningful positions. A plurality of participants (57% of nurses) considered that refusing was not acceptable, irrespective of circumstances. A substantial minority of participants (but 52% of physicians) considered that refusing was acceptable only if the level of pain was low and the risk was high. Other participants (mostly lay people) considered that refusing was always acceptable each time a risk of side effects, either serious or simply mild, was present.

Efficacy of Analgesic Treatments to Manage Children's Postoperative Pain After Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Retrospective Medical Record Review

Knowledge of the effectiveness of multimodal analgesic treatments to manage children's postoperative pain during hospital stays is limited. Our retrospective chart review of a convenience sample of 200 pediatric surgical patients' pain experiences during the first 24 hours after laparoscopic appendectomy demonstrates the benefits of a multimodal analgesic approach. We found that pediatric patients who received perioperative IV ketorolac in addition to opioids reported statistically significantly lower mean pain intensity (n = 134, mean [M] = 2.9, standard deviation [SD] = 1.7) during the first 24 hours after surgery when compared with the pain intensity of patients who did not receive perioperative IV ketorolac (n = 66, M = 3.7, SD = 1.7, t = 3.14, P = .002). Patients who received perioperative IV ketorolac (M = 0.94, SD = 0.71) also received significantly fewer morphine equivalents of postoperative opioids during the first 24 hours after surgery than those who did not (M = 1.21, SD = 0.78, t = 2.41, P = .02). We will use data from these patients to introduce the potential for a personalized medicine approach to postoperative pain.

Nurse-based monitoring and management of breakthrough pain in an acute pain relief and palliative care unit

OBJECTIVES

To assess the nurses' performance in assessing, treating, and documenting breakthrough pain (BTP) in a palliative care unit where traditionally there is continuous training.

METHODS

The study was performed in an acute palliative care unit. Once a week, a research nurse examined the documentation regarding all the episodes of BTP registered in a specific pain chart, designed by the institutional nurse board, as part of the routine nurse activity.

RESULTS

The charts of 50 consecutive eligible patients (32 M/18 F), were analysed. The mean number of episodes/patient was 3.3 (SD 1.61; range 1-7). 166 episodes occurred. The main BTP pain intensity was 7.06 (SD 0.82). In 7 episodes, pain intensity was not evaluated at T0. The pain intensity after 15 minutes after BTP medication was 3.01 (SD1.19). In 28 episodes, pain intensity was not evaluated at T15. The change in pain intensity was highly significant (P < 0.0005). BTP episodes were distributed normally through different day intervals. No relevant adverse event attributable to BTP medication was reported in the nurse diary.

CONCLUSION

Training in a research environment allows a good nurse capability in evaluating and treating BTP, and above all, providing documentation for each BTP episode. The theoretical work and recommendations around BTP need to be translated into day-to-day clinical practice.

Pain among hospitalized older people with heart failure and their preparation to manage this symptom on discharge: a descriptive-observational study

Globally, heart failure (HF) is one of the major health issues faced by many older people. It causes significant symptom burden that requires ongoing management. This paper reports on a descriptive-observational study undertaken to: (1) describe the prevalence of pain and analgesic prescription usage in hospitalized older HF patients; (2) determine the degree to which these patients are provided with a pain self-management strategy prior to discharge; and (3) determine if the patients' pain self-management strategy has been detailed in the discharge summary. A total of 122 older HF patients were included in this study. Results indicated that moderate to severe pain (Numeric Rating Scale score ≥4) is experienced by a substantial number of older people hospitalized with HF. There is little documented evidence that older people are provided with adequate analgesic prescriptions and the instructions required to effectively manage their pain on discharge to the community.

People with insomnia: experiences with sedative hypnotics and risk perception

Background

Sedative hypnotics form an important part of managing insomnia and are recommended for short‐term use. It is standard practice for clinicians to inform the patient to use medications only ‘when required’, but the use of these medications is often chronic. Little is known about the impact of standard labelling/instructions on promoting appropriate medication use for managing insomnia.

Objective

To explore patient medication‐taking beliefs, experiences and behavioural practices relating to the use of pharmacological/complementary sleep aids for insomnia.

Setting and Participants

Specialist sleep/psychology clinics and the general community in Sydney, Australia.

Method

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 51 people with insomnia using a schedule of questions to gauge their experiences, beliefs and current practices relating to insomnia medication use. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to Framework Analysis to identify emergent themes.

Results

Participants held distinctive views about the safety and efficacy of complementary and pharmacological agents but do not intuitively turn to medications to resolve their sleep complaint. Medication use was affirmed through tangible medication‐taking cues due to the ambivalence in current instructions and labelling. Practices such as dosage modification, medication substitution and delaying medication use might be important drivers for psychological dependence.

Conclusion

Current labelling and instructions do not necessarily promote the quality use of sedative hypnotics due to the variability in patient interpretations. Clarifying the timing, quantity and frequency of medication administration as well as insomnia symptom recognition would play a significant role in optimizing the role of pharmacotherapy in the management of insomnia.