Observational studyScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2018
Acute pain in the prehospital setting: a register-based study of 41.241 patients.
Observational study in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effectiveness and safety of paediatric prehospital pain management: a systematic review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Evaluation of the effectiveness and costs of inhaled methoxyflurane versus usual analgesia for prehospital injury and trauma: non-randomised clinical study.BMC emergency medicine · 2022Trial
- Prehospital Emergency Nurse competence and pain management in patients with acute abdominal pain: a retrospective observational study.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- Inadequate pain management with opioids fentanyl and morphine by paramedics and emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- MetoksyKval: the extent of pre-hospital methoxyflurane administration for acute traumatic pain: focus on economic impact and rationale for use.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- A Systematic Review of Pain Assessment Tools in Prehospital Emergency Care: Evidence from Observational Studies.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2026Review
- Prehospital analgesia for trauma-related pain by paramedics: a comparative retrospective observational study of paracetamol, nalbuphine plus paracetamol, and piritramide.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Inadequate pain management in prehospital emergency care: a retrospective study from Krapina-Zagorje County.Croatian medical journal · 2025Article
- Pain Assessment and Its Effect on Pain Management During Emergency Medical Services-A Descriptive Study in the Tampere University Hospital Area of Finland.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Variations in Prehospital Analgesic Use Based on Pain Etiology.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Adverse Reactions Following First-Dose Administration of Co-Crystal of Tramadol-Celecoxib Versus Tramadol Alone for Moderate-To-Severe Acute Pain.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- The use of strong analgesics for prehospital pain management in children in the region of Southern Denmark: a register-based study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Pain assessment and management of adult patients in the Swedish EMS: a nationwide registry study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Significant room for improvement in the prehospital assessment and treatment of acute abdominal pain: a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Prehospital Transcutaneous Cardiac Pacing in the United States: Treatment Epidemiology, Predictors of Treatment Failure, and Associated Outcomes.Prehospital emergency care · 2025Article
- Improving the time to pain relief in the emergency department through triage nurse-initiated analgesia - a quasi-experimental study from Ethiopia.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2024Article
- Effectiveness and safety of prehospital analgesia with nalbuphine and paracetamol versus morphine by paramedics - an observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2024Observational
- Analgesic Therapy with the Opioids Fentanyl and Morphine by Ambulance Personnel in Rural Areas: An Observational Study Over 7 Years.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Pain Management with Inhalation of Methoxyflurane Administrated by Non-Medical Ski Patrol: A Quality Assessment Study.Pain and therapy · 2023Article
- Regional Anesthesia for Acute Pain Treatment in Pre-Hospital and In-Hospital Emergency Medicine.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAcute pain is a frequent symptom, but little is known about the frequency and causes of acute pain in the prehospital population. The objectives of this study were to investigate the frequency of moderate to severe pain among prehospital patients and the underlying causes according to primary hospital diagnose codes.
methodsThis was a register-based study on 41.241 patients transported by ambulance. Information on moderate to severe pain [Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10) > 3 or moderate pain or higher on 4-point likert scale] was extracted from a national electronic prehospital patient record. Patient information was merged with primary hospital diagnose codes based on the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to investigate underlying causes of pain.
results11.430 patients (27.7%) reported moderate to severe pain during ambulance transport. As a measure of opioid demanding acute pain, 3.275 of 41.241 patients (7.9%) were treated with intravenous fentanyl. Underlying causes of pain were heterogenic according to ICD-10 chapters with injuries being the largest group of patients with moderate to severe pain (XIX: 42.8% of 8.041 patients), followed by non-specific diagnoses (XVIII: 28.5% of 7.101 patients and XXI: 31.6% of 5.148 patients), diseases of the circulatory system (IX: 22.1% of 4.812 patients) and other (20.3% of 16.139 miscellaneous patients). DISCUSSION: Due to the high frequency of moderate to severe pain affecting a wide range of patients, more attention on acute pain is necessary. Whether ambulance personnel have sufficient options for treating various pain conditions might be a subject of future evaluation. Non-specific diagnoses accounted for surprisingly many patients with moderate to severe pain, of which many were treated with intravenous fentanyl. This may be substance of further investigation.
conclusionsModerate to severe pain is a highly frequent and probably underestimated symptom among patients transported by ambulance. Underlying causes of pain are heterogenic as described by primary hospital diagnose codes. More focus on the treatment of acute pain is needed.
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