Pain is the most common symptom of patients presenting to the emergency department. However, management of acute pain has remained suboptimal. Unfortunately, many barriers prevent clinicians from providing adequate analgesia, including bias, environment, and lack of training. Acknowledging, assessing, and treating pain requires a multimodal patient-centered approach. Although there is no single standard of care for managing acute pain, there are many practical, time-sensitive, and effective approaches to managing pain safely in the emergency department. This evidence-based review focuses on the latest pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic options for successfully treating acute pain.

Learning Objectives

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At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:  

• Identify the common barriers and biases in treating acute pain
• List the major classes of analgesics used in the ED and describe their mechanisms of action
• Discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and routes of administration of various analgesics and anesthetics
• Recognize the value of nonpharmacologic therapeutics in the ED
• Describe the necessary safety precautions when using parental opioids and performing procedural sedation

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