Background: The administration of sedatives and analgesics on the intensive care unit (ICU) is routine daily practice. The correct discrimination between delirium, pain and anxiety or confusion is essential for the strategy and selection of medication. The correct pain therapy and sedation are essential for patient quality of life on the ICU and for the prognosis.
Objective: The aim of this article is to present state of the art recommendations on the classification of pain and pain therapy on the ICU.
Material and methods: An online search was carried out in PubMed for publications on the topics of "pain" and "ICU".
Results: Critical care patients are frequently subjected to many procedures and situations which can cause pain. The perception of pain is, among other things, influenced by the degree of orientation, anxiety and the degree of sedation. The administration of analgesics and non-pharmacological approaches are effective in reducing the stress perceived by patients.
Discussion: The main aim is improvement in the awareness of nursing and medical personnel for pain inducers and pain perception in ICU patients. The classification of pain must be made objectively. Therapeutic targets must be defined and in addition to the correct selection of pain medication, non-pharmacological approaches must also be consistently implemented.
Keywords: Analgesics; Anxiety; Delirium; Pain measurement; Pain treatment, non-pharmcological.