Differences in pain management between hematologists and hospitalists caring for patients with sickle cell disease hospitalized for vasoocclusive crisis.

OBJECTIVES

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic disease characterized by multiple vaso-occlusive complications and is increasingly cared for by hospitalists. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in pain management between hematologists and hospitalists.

METHODS

We performed a single-institution, retrospective review of pain management patterns and outcomes in adult SCD patients hospitalized for vaso-occlusive crisis.

RESULTS

Over 26 months, we found a total of 298 patients (120 cared for by the hematologists and 178 by hospitalists), with a mean age of 32 (range 19-58). Patients cared for by hospitalists had a lower total number of hours on a patient controlled analgesia (PCA) device (171 vs. 212 hours, P=0.11). Hospitalists also were significantly more likely to utilize demand only PCA (42% vs. 23%, P=0.002) and had a significantly lower rate of using both continuous and demand PCA (54% vs. 67%, P=0.04). In addition, patients cared for by hospitalists had a significantly shorter hospitalization (8.4 days) compared to hematologists (10 days, P=0.04) with a non-significant difference in 7 and 30 day readmission rates (7.2% vs. 6.7% and 40% vs. 35% respectively).

CONCLUSION

We found patients cared for by hospitalists more frequently utilized home oral pain medication during admission, had shorter lengths of hospitalization, and did not have a significant increase in readmission rates.