Weighted Blankets for Pain and Anxiety in Adult Trauma Patients

Pain intensity will be assessed using routinely documented Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) scores collected from the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care, typically every 6 to 8 hours. The NPRS ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity. For each participant, all available NPRS scores within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily pain score.

Anxiety will be assessed daily using the Anxiety Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 100-millimeter horizontal line anchored by "Not at all anxious" (0 mm) on the left and "Extremely anxious" (100 mm) on the right. Scores range from 0 to 100 mm, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety (a worse outcome).

Opioid utilization will be calculated as daily morphine milligram equivalents (MME) using opioid medications documented in the electronic medical record. For each participant, daily MME will be calculated for each available 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization.

Total inpatient hospital length of stay will be calculated from the date of hospital admission through the date of hospital discharge using data obtained from the electronic medical record and reported in days.

Systolic blood pressure measurements documented in the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care will be collected. For each participant, all available systolic blood pressure measurements within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily systolic blood pressure value, reported in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Diastolic blood pressure measurements documented in the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care will be collected. For each participant, all available diastolic blood pressure measurements within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily diastolic blood pressure value, reported in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Heart rate measurements documented in the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care will be collected. For each participant, all available heart rate measurements within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily heart rate value, reported in beats per minute (beats/min).

Temperature measurements documented in the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care will be collected. Temperature values documented in degrees Celsius will be converted to degrees Fahrenheit prior to analysis. For each participant, all available temperature measurements within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily temperature value, reported in degrees Fahrenheit (°F).

Respiratory rate measurements documented in the electronic medical record as part of standard clinical care will be collected. For each participant, all available respiratory rate measurements within each 24-hour study period following enrollment/randomization will be averaged to calculate one average daily respiratory rate value, reported in breaths per minute (breaths/min).

Participants will report how often they used the blanket during the hospital stay using a 5-category ordinal response scale: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, or Always. Responses will be summarized by category.

Participants will report the typical duration of blanket use on days when the blanket was used. Response categories are: Not applicable - did not use the blanket; Less than 30 minutes; 30 minutes to 1 hour; 1 to 2 hours; More than 2 hours but not overnight; or Overnight/throughout the day. Responses will be summarized by category.

Participants who chose not to use the blanket at any point will be asked to select one or more reasons. Response options consist of: blanket was too heavy, too warm, uncomfortable on the injury, participant did not feel it was needed, participant forgot it was available, or other (please list the reason). The number and percentage of participants selecting each reason will be reported.

Participants will rate their overall satisfaction with the blanket using a 5-point ordinal satisfaction scale ranging from Very dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Neutral, Satisfied, Very satisfied. Responses will be coded from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction and therefore a better outcome.

Participants will indicate whether they would want a blanket available during a future hospital stay using a 5-point ordinal response scale: Definitely not, Probably not, Unsure, Probably yes, or Definitely yes. Responses will be coded from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a greater preference for future blanket availability.