Prehospital fentanyl administration by ambulance personnel

Background Acute pain is one of the most common problems faced in prehospital emergency medicine. Sufficient prehospital pain therapy reduces psychological and emotional stress. Other clinical benefits include optimized conditions for patient transport, increased patient satisfaction and a better chance of timely and proper analgesia at the emergency department. Unfortunately, undertreatment of acute pain (oligoanalgesia) is common. Oligoanalgesia is associated with following factors: • Variable clinical experience • Concern for masking illness or injury • Focus on other clinical symptoms • Poor education in pain management and insufficient compliance with pain management protocols • Fear of inducing adverse effects • Lack of follow-up after initial pain therapy administration