Association between Vital Signs Fluctuations and Pain Severity among Critically-ill Patients

Abstract

Background: Pain is a critical issue in the Intensive Care Unit and need a proper management to improve patient's outcome and reduce the pain consequences in critically ill patients since patient in the intensive care unit being unable to reporting pain. Therefore, assessment vital signs frequently may be helpful.

Methods:  A descriptive-correlational design was conducted in the present study. A purposive sample of 135 subjects who had met the study's inclusion criteria were targeted. The data collection started from January 18^thto April 7^th, 2022.

Results:  Patients were silently suffering pain during all three assessment phases pre-during and 20 minutes’ post-routine nursing procedures. Of equal importance, there is a statistically significant association between the overall pain score and overall vital signs pre, during and post nursing procedures.

Conclusions: The pain severity had reached its highest level during nursing procedures, as it showed a severe unacceptable pain score, which is both clinically and ethically unacceptable. And there was a significant statistical difference, which was authenticated through vital signs readings during nursing procedures and within 20 minutes compared to pre-nursing procedures.

Recommendations: It is recommended to depend the changes in vital readings because it is considered important indicator of pain presence and its severity among patients who are unable to express their pain in the intensive care units. Also a highly recommended that Intensive Care Units use up-to-date clinical protocols to measure pain.