Erhebung der Punktprävalenz der Schmerzbelastung von Patienten in einem Krankenhaus der Maximalversorgung: Flashmob-Studie

Pain is a relevant problem in healthcare and frequently occurs in hospitalized patients. Although pain management measures should be in place (e.g., acute pain services), there are several publications on the topic of acute pain management in hospitals but few data on the actual point prevalence and pain burden of all patients in a hospital.

To quantify potentially neglected pain in hospitalized patients, a cross-sectional survey designed as a flash mob study was conducted to analyze the proportion of patients at a university hospital suffering from a pain intensity according to the Numeric rating scale (NRS).

At a predefined date an information sheet and the questionnaire were anonymously handed to the patients. Intensive care patients and patients having surgery or other interventions on the study day were excluded. Patients were asked to state their age, gender and pain intensity on the NRS from 0–10 at the defined point in time.

Out of 607 suitable hospitalized patients, 315 filled in the NRS. Of these 315 patients 59.7% showed weak pain (NRS 0–2), 35.2% medium pain (NRS 3–7) and 5.1% strong pain (NRS 8–10). Hence, the proportion of patients with pain requiring an intervention (NRS > 2) was 40.3%. A similar proportion of patients with mild pain was found for both sexes (males: 60.8%, females 58.3%).

A relevant number of patients suffered from moderate or severe pain. In order to get an overview of the pain situation in a hospital, a flash mob study is a first meaningful and cost-effective option.