Assessment of pharmacologic pain management modalities for patients on hemodialysis

Objective: The aim of this project was to assess the change in pain level for hospitalized patients on hemodialysis when using non-opioid medications alone compared to opioid medications alone to establish support for a clinical pain management model that would provide acute pain management guidance for patients on hemodialysis.Methods: This was a non-interventional survey completed at an acute care hospital in Chicago, IL. Patients over the age of 18 on hemodialysis reporting acute pain completed the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 on day one and day three of  hospitalization to assess pain levels over a three-day period. Results: The results demonstrate a decrease in total pain for patients using non-opioid medications and opioid medications; however, there is no statistically significant decrease in total pain scores between participants using non-opioid medications alone versus opioid medications alone (p = .743).Conclusions: Patients in the non-opioid group perceived their pain management to improve between day one and day three; however, their pain management did not improve to the degree that opioid medications provided. Care should be taken when dosing opioid medications for patients on hemodialysis given the patients’ decreased renal function.