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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02913833

The Impact of Pain Assessment on the Hospital Length of Stay of Patients in a Rehabilitation Unit

The financing of the Belgian hospitals is based on a system taking into account the length of hospitalization of a given patient according to his/her pathology, his/her age and his/her geriatric characteristics. This system encourages all hospital to lower the hospitalization duration to the national average for these criteria. This results in better efficiency in the management of hospitalizations but also means a swifter transfer to structures exempted from this system such as revalidation units, nursing homes and psychiatric units. An assessment of the differences in the medical practice, in terms of quality and outcomes of care, is essential for any reform willing to reduce medical costs.

Pain management is part of the quality indicators within hospitals. Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, associated to present or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such a damage". Several studies have showed that pain affects the quality of life and impacts the daily activities. Acute or chronic pain can cause adverse symptoms such as sleep disturbance, appetite loss, decreased concentration, mood changes and the disruption of familial, work and social activities. Pain might also slow down revalidation processes. A study performed by Aprile et al showed that pain negatively influenced the rehabilitation program of a quarter of the patients having had a stroke. The functional recovery was slower and the costs were higher.

The aim of this study is to determine if the systematic evaluation of the pain of a patient hospitalized in a revalidation unit has an impact on his/her length of stay.

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Key information

Conditions

Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

CHU Brugmann

Brussels, 1020, Belgium

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Sequential inclusion of all patients hospitalized in the chronic revalidation hospital unit of the CHU Brugmann - Queen Astrid site

Exclusion criteria

  • Pathological cognitive state (MMS<23/30)

Treatment and study plan

Pain evaluation

Other

Pain will be assessed four times per day on a visual analogic scale.

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain score (EVA)

    Time frame: 5 minutes, 4 times per day

    Pain assessment on the Visual Analogic Scale (EVA)

  2. Hospitalization duration

    Time frame: Hospitalization length (average of 48 days)

  3. HADS score

    Time frame: Baseline (first day of hospitalisation)

    Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (questionnaire)

  4. HADS score

    Time frame: Day 30 of hospitalisation

    Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (questionnaire)

  5. Barthel Index

    Time frame: Baseline (first day of hospitalisation)

    Daily life activities assessment

  6. Barthel Index

    Time frame: Day 30 of hospitalisation

    Daily life activities assessment

  7. CACS score

    Time frame: Hospitalization length (average of 48 days)

    Composite score of analgesics consumption

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Brugmann University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Sep 26, 2016
Registry last updated
Jan 23, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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