{"title":"Gender-based differences in assessment and management of acute abdominal pain in the emergency department: A retrospective audit","authors":"Megan Hayes , Ana Hutchinson , Debra Kerr","doi":"10.1016/j.auec.2023.03.001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p><span>Previous research has identified gender-based differences in acute pain management in the </span>emergency department<span> [ED]. The aim of this study was to compare pharmacological management of acute abdominal pain in the ED by gender.</span></p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A retrospective chart audit<span> was conducted at one private metropolitan ED including adult patients (18–80 years) who presented with acute abdominal pain in 2019. Exclusion criteria included: pregnancy, repeat presentation within the study period, pain-free at initial medical review or documented refusal of analgesia, and oligo-analgesia. Comparisons by gender included: (1) analgesia type and (2) time to analgesia. Bivariate analysis was undertaken using SPSS.</span></p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>There were 192 participants: 61 (31.6 %) men and 131 (67.9 %) women. Men were more likely to get combined opioid and non-opioid medication as first line analgesia (men: 26.2 % n = 16; women: 14.5 % n = 19, <em>p</em> = .049). Median time from ED presentation to analgesia was 80 min for men (IQR: 60) versus 94 min for women (IQR: 58), (<em>p</em><span> = .119). Women (25.2 % n = 33) were more likely to receive their first analgesic after 90 min from ED presentation compared to men versus men (11.5 %, n = 7 </span><em>p</em> = .029). In addition, women waited longer before receiving second analgesia (women: 94, men: 30 min, <em>p</em> = .032).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Findings confirm there are differences in pharmacological management of acute abdominal pain in the ED. Larger studies are required to further explore differences observed in this study.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55979,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Emergency Care","volume":"26 4","pages":"Pages 290-295"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Australasian Emergency Care","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2588994X23000222","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Previous research has identified gender-based differences in acute pain management in the emergency department [ED]. The aim of this study was to compare pharmacological management of acute abdominal pain in the ED by gender.
Methods
A retrospective chart audit was conducted at one private metropolitan ED including adult patients (18–80 years) who presented with acute abdominal pain in 2019. Exclusion criteria included: pregnancy, repeat presentation within the study period, pain-free at initial medical review or documented refusal of analgesia, and oligo-analgesia. Comparisons by gender included: (1) analgesia type and (2) time to analgesia. Bivariate analysis was undertaken using SPSS.
Results
There were 192 participants: 61 (31.6 %) men and 131 (67.9 %) women. Men were more likely to get combined opioid and non-opioid medication as first line analgesia (men: 26.2 % n = 16; women: 14.5 % n = 19, p = .049). Median time from ED presentation to analgesia was 80 min for men (IQR: 60) versus 94 min for women (IQR: 58), (p = .119). Women (25.2 % n = 33) were more likely to receive their first analgesic after 90 min from ED presentation compared to men versus men (11.5 %, n = 7 p = .029). In addition, women waited longer before receiving second analgesia (women: 94, men: 30 min, p = .032).
Conclusion
Findings confirm there are differences in pharmacological management of acute abdominal pain in the ED. Larger studies are required to further explore differences observed in this study.
期刊介绍:
Australasian Emergency Care is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to supporting emergency nurses, physicians, paramedics and other professionals in advancing the science and practice of emergency care, wherever it is delivered. As the official journal of the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA), Australasian Emergency Care is a conduit for clinical, applied, and theoretical research and knowledge that advances the science and practice of emergency care in original, innovative and challenging ways. The journal serves as a leading voice for the emergency care community, reflecting its inter-professional diversity, and the importance of collaboration and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient outcomes. It is strongly focussed on advancing the patient experience and quality of care across the emergency care continuum, spanning the pre-hospital, hospital and post-hospital settings within Australasia and beyond.