PIMPERNEL
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Patient Input Monitoring of Pain in the Emergency Room: Novel Electronic Log (PIMPERNEL):feasibility study. A randomised controlled trial of an electronic pain score display in the emergency department.
IRAS ID
210798
Contact name
Timothy Coats
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
Can a novel electronic display of pain be successfully used in the emergency department and does it (1) change analgesic prescription and (2) change amount of pain experienced?
Pain is a common symptom in emergency care. As patients are seldom reassessed, staff may not be aware of pain. Currently, members of nursing or medical staff need to ask patients about their pain and record it manually using a visual analogue scale from 0-10.
The new electronic display uses buttons to represent a pain scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Patients will select the number that best corresponds to their pain every 15 minutes. In the experimental group, the score will be displayed on a screen. In the control group, the score will not be displayed. We will compare the overall amount of pain in both groups, and will look at their pain management (painkillers prescribed). We will also ask patients and staff for their opinions on the display.
We will include adult patients in the emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary with an initial pain score of 5 or more who are able to make a decision about whether to participate. They will also need to be likely to stay in the hospital for more than 2 hours to allow us to gather enough useful data. The study will recruit 200 participants.
If we can demonstrate that the display is acceptable to patients and staff and results in improved pain management, it is a low cost intervention which could be widely implemented within the NHS. It also has the potential for being used in other areas such as surgical wards. We have previously found that 300-400 patients per week in our department have moderate to severe pain and might therefore benefit from this display.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0003
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion