“Pain as the fifth vital sign” and dependence on the “numerical pain scale” is being abandoned in the US: Why?

British Journal of Anaesthesia

Volumn 120, Issue 3, 2018, Pages 435-438

  Levy, N ^a   Sturgess, J ^a   Mills, P ^a  

^a WEST SUFFOLK HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

opioid addiction; opioid analgesics; pain; pain measurement

Indexed keywords

OPIATE; NARCOTIC ANALGESIC AGENT;

DEPRESCRIPTION; EDITORIAL; HUMAN; NUMERIC RATING SCALE; OPIATE ADDICTION; PAIN; PAIN ASSESSMENT; PRIORITY JOURNAL; UNITED KINGDOM; UNITED STATES; VISUAL ANALOG SCALE; PAIN MEASUREMENT; PROCEDURES; VITAL SIGN;

ANALGESICS, OPIOID; HUMANS; OPIOID-RELATED DISORDERS; PAIN; PAIN MEASUREMENT; UNITED KINGDOM; UNITED STATES; VITAL SIGNS;

EID: 85054775185     PISSN: 00070912     EISSN: 14716771     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2017.11.098     Document Type: Editorial

References (27)

1. American Pain Society Quality of Care Committee, Quality improvement guidelines for the treatment of acute pain and cancer pain. JAMA 274 (1995), 1874–1880.
2. Becker, W.C., Fiellin, D.A., Limited evidence, faulty reasoning, and potential for a global opioid crisis. BMJ, 358, 2017, j3115.
3. CNN. Opioid history: from ‘wonder drug’ to abuse epidemic. Published October 2016. Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/12/health/opioid-addiction-history/ (Accessed 23 October 2017).
4. Mandell, B.F., The fifth vital sign: a complex story of politics and patient care. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 83, 2016, 400.
5. Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Core Standards for Pain Management Services in the UK (CSPMS UK). Published October 2015. Available from: https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/system/files/CSPMS-UK-2015-v2-white.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2017).
6. Schug SA, Palmer GM, Scott DA, Hallivell R, Trinca J. Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence.4th ed. Melbourne: ANZCA and FPM; 2015. Working Group of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and Faculty of Pain Medicine. Available from: http://fpm.anzca.edu.au/documents/apmse4_2015_final (Accessed 23 October 2017).
7. Roger, C.D., Gordon, D., Oscar, A., et al. Guidelines on the Management of Postoperative Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Committee on regional Anesthesia, Executive Committee, and Administrative Council. The Journal of Pain 17 (2016), 131–157.
8. Adams, J., Bledsoe, G.H., Armstrong, J.H., Are pain management questions in patient satisfaction surveys driving the opioid epidemic?. Am J Public Health 106 (2016), 985–986.
9. Gostin, L.O., Hodge, J.G., Noe, S.A., Reframing the opioid epidemic as a national emergency. JAMA, August 23, 2017, 10.1001/jama.2017.13358 Published online.
10. Kharasch, E.D., Brunt, L.M., Perioperative opioids and public health. Anesthesiology 124 (2016), 960–965.
11. Leung, P.T., Macdonald, E.M., Stanbrook, M.B., Dhalla, I.A., Juurlink, D.N., A 1980 letter on the risk of opioid addiction. New England Journal of Medicine 376 (2017), 2194–2195.
12. Griffin, O.H., Miller, B.L., OxyContin and a regulation deficiency of the pharmaceutical industry: rethinking state-corporate crime. Critical Criminology 19 (2011), 213–226.
13. Vila, H. Jr., Smith, R.A., Augustyniak, M.J., et al. The efficacy and safety of pain management before and after implementation of hospital-wide pain management standards: is patient safety compromised by treatment based solely on numerical pain ratings?. Anesth Analg 101 (2005), 474–480.
14. Mularski, R.A., White-Chu, F., Overbay, D., Measuring pain as the 5th vital sign does not improve quality of pain management. Journal of General Internal Medicine 21 (2006), 607–612.
15. Zaslansky, R., Rothaug, J., Chapman, C.R., et al. PAIN OUT: the making of an international acute pain registry. European Journal of Pain 19 (2015), 490–502.
16. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. CMS finalizes hospital outpatient prospective payment system changes to better support hospitals and physicians and improve patient care. Published November 2016. Available from: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2016-Press-releases-items/2016-11-01.html (Accessed 23 October 2017).
17. The Joint commission's pain standards: origins and evolution. Published May 2017. Available from: https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/Pain_Std_History_Web_Version_05122017.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2017).
18. The Joint Commission, R3 Report Issue 11: pain assessment and management standards for hospitals., August 2017 Available from: https://www.jointcommission.org/r3_issue_11/ (Accessed 23 October 2017).
19. Scott, D.A., McDonald, W.M., Assessment, measurement and history. Macintyre, P.E., Rowbotham, D., Walker, S., (eds.) Clinical Pain Management: Acute Pain, 2nd ed, 2008, Hodder Arnold, London.
20. Levy, N., Mills, P., Mythen, M., Is the pursuit of DREAMing (drinking, eating and mobilising) the ultimate goal of anaesthesia?. Anaesthesia 71 (2016), 1008–1012.
21. Joshi, G.P., Kehlet, H., Beloeil, H., et al. Guidelines for perioperative pain management: need for re-evaluation. British Journal of Anaesthesia 119 (2017), 703–706.
22. Brummett, C.M., Waljee, J.F., Goesling, J., et al. New Persistent Opioid Use After Minor and Major Surgical Procedures in US Adults. JAMA Surgery, 2017, e170504.
23. Hermanowski, J., Levy, N., Mills, P., Penfold, N., Deprescribing: implications for the anaesthetist. Anaesthesia 72 (2017), 565–569.
24. Shapiro H, Daly M. Highways and buyways: a snapshot of UK drug scenes 2016. Published 2017. Available from: http://www.drugwise.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Highwaysandbyways.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2017).
25. Shapiro, H., Opioid painkiller dependency(OPD). A report written for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Medicine Dependency., 2015 Available from: http://www.drugwise.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/opioid_painkiller_dependency_final_report_sept_201.pdf (Accessed 23 October 2017).
26. Martinez, V., Beloeil, H., Marret, E., Fletcher, D., Ravaud, P., Trinquart, L., Non-opioid analgesics in adults after major surgery: systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomized trials. Br J Anaesth 118 (2017), 22–31.
27. Pain, Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary, 74 ed, 2017, BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press, London, 421.