National survey of emergency management of acute pain in prehospital setting

Objectives. - Assessment of skill of physicians staffed Mobil Intensive Care Units (MICU) in severe acute pain (SAP) management. Methods. - This study was conducted with a phone questionnaire addressed to emergency physicians of all metropolitan Smur (N=360). This questionnaire included medical teaching, professional position, means of severe acute pain assessment and definition of SAP, treatment, analgesic drug availability, locals guidelines and personal assessment of national guidelines were studied. Results. - Exhaustivity was more than 99% (359/360). Eighty percent of physicians were specialized in emergency care, 8% were anaesthesiologists (or intensivists), 78% worked in emergency department and 76% were frill time. Forty nine percent of physicians did not know French Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care guidelines and 63% did not, have locals analgesics guidelines. To define SAP, Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) or Numeric Scale (NS) >6/10 were mentioned only by 17%. Therapeutic efficiency was assessed and defined by VAS or NS <3/10 by 14%. Morphine was available in 90% of MICU, fentanyl in 79% and nalbuphine in 64%. Morphine was used in first intention by 71% of physicians. Guidelines about doses and waiting periods between 2 administrations were followed respectively by 6% and 28%. Ninety percent of physicians combined at least two treatments, 58% combined at least three and 39%, at least four. Conclusion. - This survey showed a low knowledge about severe acute pain management in out-of-hospital setting, both for pain assessment and treatment. There were few locals guidelines to overcome this deficiency. A training work is essential to improve care of acute pain in out-of-hospital setting. (C) 2004 Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.