The effects of a morphine shortage on emergency department pain control

In 2018, due to a national morphine shortage, our two study emergency departments (EDs) were unable to administer intravenous (IV) morphine for over six months. We evaluated the effects of this shortage on analgesia and patient disposition. This was a retrospective study in two academic EDs. Our con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of emergency medicine 2021-05, Vol.43, p.229-234
Main Authors: Kettler, Ellen, Brennan, Jesse, Coyne, Christopher J.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:In 2018, due to a national morphine shortage, our two study emergency departments (EDs) were unable to administer intravenous (IV) morphine for over six months. We evaluated the effects of this shortage on analgesia and patient disposition. This was a retrospective study in two academic EDs. Our control period (with morphine) was 4/1/17–6/30/17 and our study period (without morphine) was 4/1/18–6/30/18. We included all adult patients with a chief complaint of pain, initial pain score ≥4, and ≥2 recorded pain scores. The primary outcome was delta pain score. Secondary outcomes included final pain score, proportion of ED visits with opioids vs. non-opioids administered, and ED disposition. We identified 6296 patients during our control period and 5816 during our study period. There was no significant difference in mean final pain score (study 4.45, control 4.44, p = 0.802), delta pain score (study −3.30, control −3.32, p = 0.556), nor admission rates (study 18.8%, control 17.8%, p = 0.131). We saw a decrease in opioid use (study 47.4%, control 60.0%, p 
ISSN:0735-6757
1532-8171
DOI:10.1016/j.ajem.2020.03.010