UF: Patients rate pain care differently depending on locale

Hospital patients’ responses to a question about whether their pain is well-controlled may depend in part on where they live, University of Florida researchers report.

The findings could lead to system-level changes in patient care based on regional differences, said Dr. Patrick Tighe, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and the study’s first author.

“Acute pain management is a critically important factor in patient care,” he said. “Our data suggest that we may need to take regional differences in patient experience with pain management into account.”