A review of compliance with pain assessments within a UK ICU

Background: Clinical audits highlight areas where care may not be of the desired quality; they are essential to ensure care is safe and effective. Effective assessment and management of pain have been shown to improve patient wellbeing and clinical outcomes. Aim: This audit aimed to identify compliance with pain assessment tools and documentation within intensive care and make recommendations to improve practice. Discussion: Compliance with documenting pain assessments was poor, a finding that is consistent with the literature. Although a wealth of evidence has shown pain assessments are not being completed effectively, this continues to be a problem. Intensive care has significant areas for improvement in this area, which would improve patients' experiences and outcomes. Nurses should be educated in the use of pain assessment tools and compliance. Conclusion: Providing patients in intensive care with appropriate analgesia benefits their physical and psychological health. Areas for improvement identified in this audit include that pain assessments need to be carried out and documented regularly. The audit has implications for practice in that it shows a need for reinforced education for staff, better communication and updates to promote pain assessment and the implementation of guidelines