PICOT QUESTION
In adult patients with moderate to severe pain presenting to the ER, does the implementation of Nurse-Initiated Analgesia improve quality of care based on indicators such as safety, timeliness of care, and patient satisfaction compared to no intervention at all?
P: Adult patients presenting to the ER with moderate to severe pain.
I: Implementation of Nurse-Initiated Analgesia
C: Compared to no intervention at all
O: Does the implementation of Nurse-Initiated Analgesia lead to an improvement in quality of care???
Pain management in the ER is a huge concern that requires improvement. Pain management ultimately influences a patient’s satisfaction regarding provision of care. Pain management delays occur daily within the emergency department impacting quality of care.
When a patient presents to the ER for pain, they typically wait an average of 3-4hours or more prior to receiving an analgesic. Patient reports of pain is subjective and each individual has their own level of pain tolerance. As a healthcare provider it is my duty to advocate for my patients.
Nurse-initiated analgesia is a possible solution.
Will permitting Nurse-initiated analgesia provide nurses autonomy by means of either a medical directive or a standardized protocol, improve quality of care for patients based on indicators such as safety, timeliness of care, and patient satisfaction compared to no intervention at all?
