Table 2. Comparative analysis between public (NHS) and private hospitals (n = 109).

Question	NHS (n = 78)	Private (n = 31)	p* value
1—Is there a proper place in the hospital chart to record patients’ pain intensity as the fifth vital sign? n (%)
No	4 (5.1)	7 (22.6)	0.012
Yes	74 (94.9)	24 (77.4)
2—In your hospital, what is the current percentage of departments that record pain as the fifth vital sign in all patients? n (%)
<25%	6 (7.9)	3 (11.5)	0.754
25 a 50%	9 (11.8)	4 (15.4)
50 a 75%	18 (23.7)	4 (15.4)
75 a 99%	28 (36.8)	8 (30.8)
100%	15 (19.7)	7 (26.9)
3—Specifically in the emergency department, is pain always recorded as the fifth vital sign? n (%)
No	26 (38.3)	14 (82.4)	0.001
Yes	42 (61.8)	3 (17.6)
4—In your hospital, is there a regular evaluation of the quality of the pain records in the hospital charts? n (%)
No	50 (64.1)	24 (82.8)	0.049
Yes	28 (35.9)	5 (17.2)
5—Are there written orientations distributed through the departments on how to proceed with patients’ pain recording? n (%)
No	24 (31.2)	15 (50.0)	0.056
Yes	53 (68.8)	15 (50.0)
5.1—If yes, could you please send us a copy? n (%)
No	8 (15.1)	9 (60.0)	0.001
Yes	45 (84.9)	6 (40.0)
6—In the last 3 years did your hospital provide training on pain assessment to the nurse staff? n (%)
No	11 (14.1)	15 (50.0)	0.001
Yes	67 (85.9)	15 (50.0)
6.1—If yes, which was the percentage of participation?
<25%	6 (7.7)	2 (6.7)	0.002
25 a 50%	20 (25.9)	7 (23.3)
50 a 75%	9 (11.5)	3 (10.0)
75 a 99%	30 (38.5)	3 (10.0)
100%	2 (2.6)	0 (0)
Not applicable	11 (14.1)	15 (50.0)
7—We kindly ask you to send us a copy of the hospital chart for surgical patients. n (%)
No	44 (56.4)	18 (58.1)	0.482
Yes	34 (43.6)	13 (41.9)

* Chi-square test or Fisher exact as appropriate.