ArticleThe western journal of emergency medicine2026
Non-Opioid Pharmaceutical Alternatives for Acute Pain Management in the Emergency Department: A Scoping Review.
Article in The western journal of emergency medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn light of the ongoing opioid epidemic, emergency clinicians have faced the difficult challenge of managing acute pain while reducing opioid prescriptions. Improved use of non-opioid analgesics could decrease the need for opioid medications in the management of acute pain. Limited work has been done to systematically produce a comprehensive list of non-opioid pharmaceuticals targeted to specific pain-associated conditions.
methodsWe conducted a scoping review of recent literature for non-opioid pharmaceuticals that could help manage five painful conditions commonly treated in our institution's ED: abdominal pain; back pain; chest pain; fracture pain; and headache. In November 2023, we identified reviews published from November 2018-2023 in PubMed to curate a list of alternatives to opioids to effectively manage acute pain.
resultsWe screened 246 studies that reviewed management approaches for the five chosen conditions that commonly present with pain in the ED and included 23 studies. Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were recommended for all five painful conditions. Ketamine was suggested for abdominal pain, chest pain, and headaches. For back pain, anti-depressants and muscle relaxants were advised. Benzodiazepines and anti-psychotics were indicated for abdominal pain. Triptans, anti-psychotics, and anti-emetics were suggested for headaches.
conclusionThis review highlights several non-opioid medications for treating acute pain in the ED. The targeted, comprehensive list generated in this study can serve as a practical resource to support alternative-to-opioid programs in EDs by guiding the creation of pharmaceutical order sets tailored to common ED presentations. Ultimately, this tool may help reduce unnecessary opioid exposure and improve patient outcomes in emergency care settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.