Why the study?
Is there a difference in therapeutic effect, side-effects, or patient compliance among four commonly used mild analgesics in the accident and emergency department?
Is there a difference in therapeutic effect, side-effects, or patient compliance among four commonly used mild analgesics in the accident and emergency department?
Cost and safety should be the primary considerations when choosing mild analgesics in the emergency department, as efficacy and compliance do not significantly differ among common options.
May support cost and safety as primary factors when selecting mild analgesics in the ED; leaves open need for randomized confirmation of equivalence.
A prospective controlled trial involving over 1000 patients did not reveal any difference between four drugs commonly used in accident and emergency departments for the relief of mild to moderate pain. There were no significant variations in therapeutic effect, side-effects or patient compliance. When considering the supply of analgesics which may be no more potent than those available without prescription from retail chemists, cost and safety are more important than analgesic effect. By restricting the choice of analgesics available, the accident and emergency department should be able to increase awareness among its staff of the actions and side-effects of a small number of prescribed drugs and to contain costs.
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Yates et al. (1984) studied this question.
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