Impact of Patients, Nurses, and Workload on the Use of a Nurse-Initiated Pain Protocol at Triage in the Emergency Department: A Single-Center Retrospective Observational Study.

ABSTRACT: Background: Nurse-initiated pain protocols (NIPPs) at emergency department (ED) triage remain underused. This study investigated factors associated with patient refusal and nurse use of NIPP, accounting for triage operational context. Methods: This retrospective observational study combined prospectively collected nurse characteristics with retrospective data on NIPP use over 15 months in a tertiary university hospital ED. Outcomes included rates of NIPP refusal and use, documented reasons for refusal, and associations with patient characteristics, nurse characteristics, crowding, and operational pressure. Results: Sixty-three triage nurses managed 16,137 adult patients; 6.2% refused the NIPP. Among consenting patients, NIPP was used in one-third of encounters. Multi-l

SUBMITTER: Fournier Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12842159 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature