Do Patient-Reported Abdominal Pain Scores Correlate with Acute Pathology?

In a retrospective chart review, pain scores did not correlate with the odds of pathology on abdominal CT scans performed in the ED.

Patient-reported pain scores are assessed in nearly all U.S. emergency department (ED) visits, and pain is frequently deemed the “fifth vital sign.” While these assessments may be used in the decision making for analgesia, the diagnostic utility of pain scores in identifying clinically important pathology is unclear.

Researchers reviewed the charts of 993 adult patients at a single ED who underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) with intravenous contrast and had non-0 pain scores documented. The median initial pain score was 8 on a 10-point scale. Overall, 56.6% of CT scans showed acute radiographic pathology deemed to explain the patient's pain. In analyses controlling for age, sex, and race, pain scores were not associated with increas…

Reviewing Author

Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Emergency Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAcademy for Academic Women in Emergency Medicine (Social Media Chair)

Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Emergency Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAcademy for Academic Women in Emergency Medicine (Social Media Chair)

Do Patient-Reported Abdominal Pain Scores Correlate with Acute Pathology?

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Reviewing Author