Editor’s Note: This blog originally appeared on Sheridan Healthcare‘s website.
The mandates around pain as “the fifth vital sign” and the impact of patient satisfaction on HCAHPS scores have made pain management a high priority for healthcare providers. Patients’ perceptions of how well their pain was managed can have a major influence on their levels of satisfaction with their overall care experience, and improvements to pain management have been shown to boost both patient satisfaction and hospital revenues.
Healthcare providers can be caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to patient satisfaction with pain management. Many physicians feel increasing pressure from patients to prescribe opioid medications when those patients feel that the relief provided by acetaminophen and NSAIDS is inadequate. Some hospitals are trying pain mitigation alternatives, such as administering pain killers and other medications through transdermal patches or nasal sprays rather than intravenously to avoid patients’ negative associations with needle pain.
While treating patients’ physical pain is a major focus, addressing patients’ and caregivers’ fears and concerns and setting their expectations appropriately also can have a significant impact on their satisfaction with their pain management and overall care. In a Becker’s Hospital Review article, Dr. Adam Blomberg, Sheridan’s National Education Director for the Anesthesiology Division, and Chief of Anesthesiology at Memorial Regional Hospital in Florida, said that excellent communication and better patient and caregiver education are key.
See the full blog post here.
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