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Management and Human Resource Research Journal

(MHRRJ)
ISSN (Print): 363-7036 | ISSN (Online): 4244-490X
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HomeMHRRJ Vol. 13, No. 4 IMPROVING PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR ELDERLY TRAUMA PATI…
📄 Research Article MHRRJ Vol. 13, No. 4 (2025)

IMPROVING PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR ELDERLY TRAUMA PATIENTS IN PUERTO RICO

José Rafael Torres González
Emergency Medicine Department, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Management and Human Resource Research Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4 (2025), pp. 22-29 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20177394
Open Access Peer Reviewed Research Article

Abstract

Context: Pain management in elderly trauma patients is complicated by age-related physiological changes, comorbidities, and limited treatment resources. In low-resource settings such as southern Puerto Rico, emergency department (ED) pain management practices remain understudied. Objectives: To describe patterns of analgesic use, including multimodal opioid-sparing strategies, and evaluate their association with ED length of stay in elderly trauma patients in a low-resource ED. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 3,000 ED visits by patients aged ≥65 with simple trauma from 2022-2024. After random sampling, 1,212 patients met inclusion criteria. Data on demographics, comorbidities, injury type, analgesics administered, and ED length of stay were collected. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, linear regression, and independent t-tests. Results: Of the 1,212 patients, 61% were female and 86% had at least one chronic condition. Common injuries included head (34.9%), lower extremity (24%), and upper extremity (21.9%). Analgesics were administered to 79.6% of patients, with acetaminophen (41.7%) and (ketorolac) (31.3%) being the most frequently administered. Opioids were used in 4.7% of cases. Local anesthetics were administered to 18.7%. Multimodal treatment (use of ≥2 analgesic types) was administered to 15.7% of patients. Ketorolac use correlated with shorter ED stays (mean 32 minutes less, p=0.012), while opioid use correlated with longer stays (mean 1 hour 58 minutes more, p=0.012). Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of developing geriatric-specific, multimodal opioid-sparing pain protocols tailored to low-resource EDs and expanding training in local anesthetic techniques to optimize non-opioid analgesia and improve care in similar settings.
Keywords: ["Elderly","Trauma","Pain management","Emergency department","Opioid-sparing","Regional anesthesia"]
📑 How to Cite This Article
APA 7th Edition:
José Rafael Torres González (2025). IMPROVING PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR ELDERLY TRAUMA PATIENTS IN PUERTO RICO. Management and Human Resource Research Journal, 13(4), 22-29. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20177394
Vancouver Style:
José Rafael Torres González. IMPROVING PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR ELDERLY TRAUMA PATIENTS IN PUERTO RICO. Manag. Hum. Resour. Res. J.. 2025;13(4):22-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20177394
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