Opioid and non-opioid pain relief after an emergency department acute pain visit

Objectives Treatment of acute pain after emergency department (ED) discharge remains a challenge in the opioid crisis context. Our objective was to determine the proportion of patients using opioid vs non-opioid pain medication following discharge from the ED with acute pain, and the association of type of pain medication with average pain intensity before pain medication intake and report of pain relief. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of ED patients aged ≥ 18 years with an acute pain (≤ 2 weeks) who were discharged with an opioid prescription. Patients completed a 14-day diary assessing daily pain intensity level before each pain medication intake (0–10 numeric rating scale), type of pain medication use (opioid vs non-opioid), and if pain was relieved by the medication used that day. Multilevel analyses were used to compare the effect of type of analgesic used on pain intensity and relief. Results A total of 381 participants completed the 14-day diary; 50% were women and median age was 54 years (IQR = 43–66). Average daily pain intensity before pain medication intake was significantly higher for patients who used opioids (5.9; 95% CI 5.7–6.2) as compared to non-opioid analgesics (4.2; 95% CI 4.0–4.5) or no pain medication (2.2; 95% CI 1.9–2.5). Controlling for pain intensity, patients using opioids were more likely to report a pain relief (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.8) as compared to those who used non-opioid analgesics. Conclusion Overall, opioids appear to be effective and used as intended by the prescribing physician.