Baseline characteristics of the two study arms
| Standard care arm, n=196 | Intervention arm, n=215 | |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | n (%) | n (%) |
| Age, years | ||
| 18–29 | 52 (26.5) | 44 (20.5) |
| 30–49 | 64 (32.7) | 72 (33.5) |
| 50–69 | 53 (27.0) | 62 (28.8) |
| >70 | 27 (13.8) | 37 (17.2) |
| Male | 96 (49.0) | 89 (41.4) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Aust/NZ/Brit* | 150 (76.5) | 158 (73.5) |
| Italian | 6 (3.1) | 12 (5.6) |
| Greek | 4 (2.0) | 6 (2.8) |
| Other European | 6 (3.1) | 6 (2.8) |
| Asian | 7 (3.6) | 11 (5.1) |
| Other | 23 (11.7) | 22 (10.2) |
| Triage pain score | ||
| 4 | 39 (19.9) | 46 (21.4) |
| 5 | 49 (25.0) | 54 (25.1) |
| 6 | 35 (17.9) | 40 (18.6) |
| 7 | 27 (13.8) | 33 (15.3) |
| 8 | 35 (17.9) | 24 (11.2) |
| 9 | 3 (1.5) | 13 (6.0) |
| 10 | 8 (4.1) | 5 (2.3) |
| Triage category | ||
| 2 | 19 (9.7) | 16 (7.4) |
| 3 | 104 (53.1) | 134 (62.3) |
| 4 | 69 (35.2) | 60 (27.9) |
| 5 | 4 (2.0) | 5 (2.3) |
| Indication | ||
| Trauma | 28 (14.4) | 29 (13.5) |
| Abdominal pain | 54 (27.6) | 70 (32.6) |
| Headache | 10 (5.1) | 13 (6.0) |
| Chest pain | 9 (4.6) | 12 (5.6) |
| Other | 95 (48.5) | 91 (42.3) |
| Analgesia given | ||
| Nurse initiated | 85 (43.4) | 104 (48.4) |
| Any analgesia | 139 (70.9) | 151 (70.2) |
| Simple analgesia | 107 (54.6) | 117 (54.4) |
| Oral opioid | 83 (42.3) | 89 (41.4) |
| Parenteral opioid | 26 (13.3) | 31 (14.4) |
*Australian/New Zealand/British.