Pain Manag Nurs. 2026 Jun 12:S1524-9042(26)00180-3. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2026.05.002. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Pain management in hospitalized acute and chronic pain patients should include multimodal analgesic and non-pharmacological interventions. However, empirical data on real-world pain management practices comparing acute and chronic pain patients remains limited. To describe and compare interventions used for hospitalized patients with acute versus chronic pain.
DESIGN: In a cross-sectional analysis of Austrian Nursing Quality Measurement 2.0 data from three annual assessments (2021-2023), patients with current pain (n = 2,118) were categorized as acute (n = 1,163) or chronic (n = 955).
METHODS: Trained nurse pairs documented demographics, medical diagnoses, care dependency, and pain interventions received at the time of assessment. Descriptive statistics and bivariate testing were performed.
RESULTS: Compared with acute pain patients, those with chronic pain were older (73 vs. 66 years, p < 0.001), more care dependent (p < 0.05), and more likely to have cardiovascular disease (46% vs. 33%, p < 0.001). Pharmacological treatments predominated in both groups, with higher use in acute pain (990%) than chronic pain (86%, p < 0.001). Acute pain care more often included NSAIDs, whereas chronic pain patients received more opioids. Physiotherapy was used similarly in both groups (≈40%). Other non-pharmacological modalities were infrequently applied, typically in < 10% of patients.
CONCLUSIONS: This descriptive study documents current pain management practices in Austrian hospitals, revealing predominant reliance on medications, with limited integration of non-pharmacological options in both acute and chronic populations. Future research should incorporate pain outcomes, treatment effectiveness measures, longitudinal follow-up, and systematic examination of institutional and patient-level barriers to comprehensive multimodal pain management.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our results provide a baseline for quality improvement initiatives.
PMID:42285854 | DOI:10.1016/j.pmn.2026.05.002