TABLE 2.
Administration of analgesics stratified according to geography (n = 1864).
| Europe (n = 1364) | Asia (n = 314) | Australia (n = 186) | Missing data n (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analgesics prior to admission, n (%) a | 0 (0) | |||
| No prescription | 1209 (89) | 295 (94) | 157 (84) | |
| Simple analgesics | 98 (7) | 17 (5) | 10 (5) | |
| Weak opioids | 46 (3) | 2 (1) | 5 (3) | |
| Strong opioids | 20 (1) | 1 (0) | 8 (4) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 37 (3) | 1 (0) | 16 (9) | |
| Other | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 1 (1) | |
| Type of primary analgesia, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| Simple analgesics | 1069 (78) | 122 (39) | 116 (62) | |
| Weak opioids | 79 (6) | 119 (38) | 7 (4) | |
| Strong opioids | 198 (14) | 66 (21) | 62 (33) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 10 (1) | 7 (2) | 1 (1) | |
| Other | 8 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Type of secondary analgesia, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| No additional analgesia | 278 (20) | 58 (18) | 14 (7) | |
| Simple analgesics | 430 (32) | 119 (38) | 75 (40) | |
| Weak opioids | 342 (25) | 72 (23) | 13 (7) | |
| Strong opioids | 272 (20) | 59 (19) | 82 (44) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 20 (1) | 4 (1) | 1 (1) | |
| Other | 22 (2) | 2 (1) | 1 (1) | |
| Type of tertiary analgesia, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| No additional analgesia | 773 (57) | 175 (56) | 53 (28) | |
| Simple analgesics | 120 (9) | 33 (10) | 44 (24) | |
| Weak opioids | 134 (10) | 25 (8) | 20 (11) | |
| Strong opioids | 293 (21) | 77 (25) | 64 (34) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 31 (2) | 4 (1) | 4 (2) | |
| Other | 13 (1) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | |
| Type of quaternary analgesia, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| No additional analgesia | 1170 (86) | 279 (89) | 90 (48) | |
| Simple analgesics | 39 (3) | 9 (3) | 36 (19) | |
| Weak opioids | 49 (3) | 2 (0) | 8 (4) | |
| Strong opioids | 78 (6) | 18 (6) | 50 (26) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 19 (1) | 6 (2) | 2 (1) | |
| Other | 9 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Epidural analgesia, n (%) | 200 (11) | |||
| No | 1169 (99) | 306 (99) | 179 (0) | |
| Yes | 7 (1) | 3 (1) | 0 (0) | |
| Acupuncture, n (%) | 218 (12) | |||
| No | 1157 (100) | 295 (95) | 179 (100) | |
| Yes | 0 (0) | 15 (5) | 0 (0) | |
| Pain team assessment, n (%) | 3 (0) | |||
| No | 1247 (92) | 217 (69) | 166 (90) | |
| Yes | 115 (8) | 97 (31) | 19 (10) | |
| Analgesic prescriptions at discharge, n (%) b | 0 (0) | |||
| No prescription | 581 (43) | 60 (19) | 53 (28) | |
| Simple analgesics | 653 (48) | 170 (54) | 117 (63) | |
| Weak opioids | 295 (22) | 119 (38) | 56 (30) | |
| Strong opioids | 108 (8) | 61 (19) | 32 (17) | |
| Adjuvant analgesic | 39 (3) | 8 (3) | 5 (3) | |
| Other | 11 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Opioid administration during admission, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| No | 446 (33) | 41 (13) | 28 (15) | |
| Yes | 918 (67) | 273 (87) | 158 (85) | |
| Opioid prescription at discharge, n (%) | 0 (0) | |||
| No | 978 (72) | 138 (44) | 101 (54) | |
| Yes | 386 (28) | 176 (56) | 85 (46) | |
| Median duration of opioid treatment [days] (IQR) | 2 (0–4) | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) | 36 (2) |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range.
a
A subset of patients had several analgesics prescribed prior to admission.
b
A subset of patients had several analgesics prescribed at discharge.