Inadequate pain relief for patients with trauma: A cause for concern?

Pain relief is the major reason why patients come to a hospital.[1] Trauma is a chief cause of pain and suffering.[2] Road traffic accidents (RTA) are on the increase due to a variety of factors. Crush injuries and fractures of the limbs are a common outcome of RTA resulting in severe pain and morbidity. A large number of studies have shown that pain relief provided to patients in the accident and emergency (A and E) unit is grossly inadequate.[3,4] The average time from arrival to the A and E unit, the choice and administration of an analgesic and the adequacy of pain relief provided to the patients is a subject of much debate