12/18/2006

The Pain-free Hospital - Pilot project successfully completed in five hospitals

The first five out of a total of 25 German hospitals have just been awarded the certification "Qualified Pain Therapy" with the completion of the pilot project "Pain-free Hospital".

The project was launched over three years ago with the aim of optimising pain control for patients through regular monitoring of pain, staff training and standardised treatment procedures, and thereby to shorten the time required for recuperation. The actual, current pain status at any given time was recorded with questionnaires, interviews and observation. The data collected formed the basis for customised optimisation concepts which were put into practice and then re-checked from summer 2005.

And the results were successful: Almost 100% of doctors and nursing staff now regularly measure pain levels among their patients which enables them to administer more effective painkillers. This in turn leads to increased mobility and improved quality of life for patients. Due to the regular monitoring and documentation of pain on a scale the patients’ awareness of pain and strength of pain was increased which led to the them actively becoming involved in their own therapy. At the Martha-Maria Hospital in Halle-Dölau, for instance, the proportion of patients suffering pain in the afternoon decreased from 70% to just 30%, and during the nights pain levels were reduced by 15%.

The first five clinics which were awarded the certification “Qualified Pain Therapy” following completion of the project, which was supported by Mundipharma, are the Malteser Hospital St. Franziskushospital in Flensburg, the Municipal Hospital Martha-Maria in Halle- Dölau, the Bethanien Hospital for the County of Moers, the Clinic for General Surgery/Clinic for Accident Surgery/Clinic for Anaesthetics and Operative Intensive Medicine at the University Hospital Münster and the Accident Hospital for Industrial Injuries in Tübingen.