NCT03881982: PIMPERNEL

A Novel Electronic Method of Collecting Pain Scores in the Emergency Department

Completed NA Last updated 30 January 2020

What this trial tests

NA trial testing PIMPERNEL Novel Electronic Log: Pain display can be seen in Pain, Acute in 105 participants. Completed in 31 July 2019.

Timeline

3 August 2017

Primary endpoint
31 July 2019

31 July 2019

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Leicester
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	other
Enrollment	105
Start date	3 August 2017
Primary completion	31 July 2019
Estimated completion	31 July 2019
Sites	1 location across United Kingdom

Drugs / interventions tested

• PIMPERNEL Novel Electronic Log: Pain display can be seen
• PIMPERNEL Novel Electronic Log: Pain display is hidden

Conditions studied

• Pain, Acute — all drugs for Pain, Acute →

Sponsor

University of Leicester

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Pain, Acute. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Can a novel electronic display of pain be successfully used in the emergency department and does it (1) change analgesic prescription and (2) change amount of pain experienced? Pain is a common symptom in emergency care. As patients are seldom reassessed, staff may not be aware of pain. Currently, members of nursing or medical staff need to ask patients about their pain and record it manually using a visual analogue scale from 0-10.

The new electronic display uses buttons to represent a pain scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Patients will select the number that best corresponds to their pain every 15 minutes. In the experimental group, the score will be displayed on a screen. In the control group, the score will not be displayed. The investigators will compare the overall amount of pain in both groups, and will look at their pain management (painkillers prescribed). The investigators will also ask patients and staff for their opinions on the display.

The study will include adult patients in the emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary with an initial pain score of 5 or more who are able to make a decision about whether to participate. Participants will also need to be likely to stay in the hospital for more than 2 hours to allow the investigators to gather enough useful data. The study will recruit 200 participants. If the study can demonstrate that the monitor is acceptable to patients and staff and results in improved pain management, it is a low cost intervention which could be widely implemented within the NHS. It also has the potential for being used in other areas such as surgical wards. The investigators have previously found that 300-400 patients per week in the department have moderate to severe pain and might therefore benefit from this monitor.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.