Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate pain management practices and perspectives among emergency department’s (ED) discharged patients.
Methods: A prospective observational study using an electronic questionnaire was conducted at King Fahad Hospital of the University between November 2023 and February 2024. Patients discharged from the ED who received pain medications were included. Pain presentations were categorized into headache, chest pain, abdominal pain, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, renal colic, or other unspecified conditions.
Results: A total of 331 patients were included, with 56.8% males, 84.9% Saudi nationals, and 29.0% completed high school. The mean age was 35.7 ±11.0 years, and the most common presentation was musculoskeletal pain (48.6%). Regarding acetaminophen use, 65.6% of patients knew the recommended dose (1 g), while only 42.0% were aware of the 6-hour interval between doses. A minority (15.3%) correctly identified the maximum daily dose (4 g). Additionally, 43.8% of patients were discharged on acetaminophen. Fevadol had the highest level of dose-reduction awareness (56.8%), while 73.4% were unsure about dose reductions for Solpadeine. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were prescribed to all chest pain cases and the majority of headache cases (88.9%).
Conclusion: Suboptimal escalation of pain medications was seen in more than half of the patients. Also, the use of other pain medications after discharge and unawareness about acetaminophen content in common pain medications was greatly noted.

Key words: Emergency department, pain medication, pain management, acetaminophen, knowledge