Painful Discrimination in the Emergency Department: Risk Factors for Underassessment of Patients’ Pain by Nurses

Abstract

Introduction Unrelieved acute musculoskeletal pain continues to be a reality of major clinical importance, despite advancements in pain management. Accurate pain assessment by nurses is crucial for effective pain management. Yet inaccurate pain assessment is a consistent finding worldwide in various clinical settings, including the emergency department. In this study, pain assessments between nurses and patients with acute musculoskeletal pain after extremity injury will be compared to assess discrepancies. A second aim is to identify patients at high risk for underassessment by emergency nurses. Methods The prospective PROTACT study included 539 adult patients who were admitted to the emerg..