Subscribe
BreathingPain

Effects of deep breathing on pain management

JR

There was a significant difference in patient satisfaction, according to researchers in Chicago.

But what about their pain?

First, the details.

  • Patients in the emergency department with pain as their chief complaint were randomly assigned to a treatment group.
    • Usual treatment for pain
    • Usual treatment for pain + deep breathing exercises
  • A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure pain before and after treatment.
  • Patient satisfaction was measured using the medical interview satisfaction scale (MISS).

And, the results.

  • There was no difference between groups regarding pain levels after treatment with pain medication.
  • There was a significant difference in patient service satisfaction regarding doctor/patient rapport and intention to follow treatment.

The bottom line?
The added attention improved the patients’ satisfaction but not their pain.

6/3/09 21:18 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

Related Posts