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Tan HS, Tan CW, Sultana R, Chen HY, Chua T, Rahman N, Gandhi M, Sia ATH, Sng BL. The association between epidural labour analgesia and postpartum depression: a randomised controlled trial. Anaesthesia 2024; 79:357-367. [PMID: 37990597 DOI: 10.1111/anae.16178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between epidural labour analgesia and risk of postpartum depression. Most previous studies were observational trials with limited ability to account for confounders. We aimed to determine if epidural analgesia was associated with a significant change in the incidence of postpartum depression in this randomised controlled trial. We enrolled women aged 21-50 years old with a singleton fetus ≥ 36 weeks gestation. Patients were advised regarding available labour analgesic modalities during enrolment (epidural block; intramuscular pethidine; nitrous oxide; or intravenous remifentanil). On request for analgesia, patients were offered the modality that they had been allocated randomly to first. Blinded investigators recorded patient and obstetric characteristics within 24 h of delivery and assessed for postpartum depression at 6-10 weeks following delivery using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (score ≥ 13 considered positive for postpartum depression). The modified intention-to-treat population consisted of all patients who received any form of labour analgesia, while per-protocol consisted of patients who received their randomised modality as their first form of labour analgesia. Of 881 parturients allocated randomly (epidural n = 441, non-epidural n = 440), we analysed 773 (epidural n = 389, non-epidural n = 384); 62 (15.9%) of women allocated to epidural group developed postpartum depression compared with 65 (16.9%) women allocate to the non-epidural group. There were no significant differences in the incidence of postpartum depression between the two groups (adjusted risk difference (95%CI) 1.6 (-3.0-6.3%), p = 0.49). Similar results were obtained with per-protocol analysis (adjusted risk difference (95%CI) -1.0 (-8.3-6.3%), p = 0.79). We found no significant difference in the risk of postpartum depression between patients who received epidural labour analgesia and those who utilised non-epidural analgesic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Tan
- Department of Women's Anaesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - C W Tan
- Department of Women's Anaesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - R Sultana
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - H Y Chen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Paediatrics Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - T Chua
- Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Paediatrics Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - N Rahman
- Department of Biostatistics, Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - M Gandhi
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biostatistics, Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
| | - A T H Sia
- Department of Women's Anaesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - B L Sng
- Department of Women's Anaesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
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Shebelsky R, Sadi W, Heesen P, Aber RN, Fein S, Iluz-Freundlich D, Shmueli A, Azem K, Radyan Tamayev I, Binyamin Y, Orbach-Zinger S. The relationship between postpartum pain and mother-infant bonding: A prospective observational study. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med 2024; 43:101315. [PMID: 37865216 DOI: 10.1016/j.accpm.2023.101315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Postpartum pain is associated with impaired maternal recovery and may influence mother-infant bonding. METHODS Participants who underwent a vaginal or cesarean delivery were assessed 24 h postpartum. Postpartum pain intensity was measured using the Verbal Numeric Score (VNS) (0-10) and classified as non-severe (<8) or severe pain (≥8). Maternal-infant bonding was evaluated using the Post-Partum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ; 0-125), with a score > 5 defining impaired bonding. Demographic data included age, BMI, parity, education level, economic status, partnership, prior history of depression, familial history of depression, desire to breastfeed, epidural analgesia during labor, rooming in, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Data were analyzed using 2 separate multivariable logistic regression models for vaginal and cesarean deliveries, where maximum postpartum pain was the independent variable and impaired postpartum bonding was the dependent variable and controlled for the other factors collected. RESULTS Severe postpartum pain (VNS ≥ 8) showed no significant relationship with impaired bonding when controlling for confounding variables. In vaginal deliveries, there was an association between a history of depression and impaired bonding (Odds Ratio 2.2 [1.07-4.65], p = 0.04) and EPDS > 10 and impaired bonding (OR 11.5 [3.2-73.6], p < 0.001). For cesarean deliveries, rooming in with the baby had a protective effect (OR 11.5 [3.2-73.6], p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Contrary to expectations, severe postpartum pain did not influence maternal-infant binding in the cohort of patients with vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Instead, factors such as maternal mental health and rooming-in practices appeared to exert more significant influence. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT05206552.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rostislav Shebelsky
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Wadeea Sadi
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Rachel N Aber
- Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Fein
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daniel Iluz-Freundlich
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Anat Shmueli
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Karam Azem
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inbar Radyan Tamayev
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yair Binyamin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| | - Sharon Orbach-Zinger
- Department, Department of Anaesthesia, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikvah, and Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Zhang EW, Jones LE, Whitburn LY. Tools for assessing labour pain: a comprehensive review of research literature. Pain 2023; 164:2642-2652. [PMID: 37556378 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The experience of pain associated with labour is complex and challenging to assess. A range of pain measurement tools are reported in the literature. This review aimed to identify current tools used in research to assess labour pain across the past decade and to evaluate their implementation and adequacy when used in the context of labour pain. A literature search was conducted in databases MEDLINE and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, using search terms relating to labour, pain, and measurement. A total of 363 articles were selected for inclusion. Most studies (89.9%) assessed pain as a unidimensional experience, with the most common tool being the Visual Analogue Scale, followed by the Numerical Rating Scale. Where studies assessed pain as a multidimensional experience, the most common measurement tool was the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Only 4 studies that used multidimensional tools selected a tool that was capable of capturing positive affective states. Numerous variations in the implementation of scales were noted. This included 35 variations found in the wording of the upper and lower anchors of the Visual Analogue Scale, some assessment tools not allowing an option for "no pain," and instances where only sections of validated tools were used. It is clear that development of a standardised pain assessment strategy, which evaluates the multidimensions of labour pain efficiently and effectively and allows for both positive and negative experiences of pain to be reported, is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erina W Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Lester E Jones
- Health Social Sciences Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
- Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Laura Y Whitburn
- Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
- Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
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Tan CW, Tan NYK, Sultana R, Tan HS, Sng BL. Investigating the association factors of acute postpartum pain: a cohort study. BMC Anesthesiol 2023; 23:252. [PMID: 37491196 PMCID: PMC10367238 DOI: 10.1186/s12871-023-02214-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Labor pain intensity is known to predict persistent postpartum pain, whereas acute postpartum pain may interfere with maternal postpartum physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Nevertheless, there is little research studying the association between labor pain intensity and acute postpartum pain. This study investigated the associations between labor pain intensity and psychological factors with acute postpartum pain. METHODS We included women with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II, having ≥ 36 gestational weeks and a singleton pregnancy. We investigated the association between labor pain intensity (primary exposure) and high acute postpartum pain at 0 to 24 h after delivery (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ≥ 3 of 10; primary outcome). Pre-delivery questionnaires including Angle Labor Pain Questionnaire (A-LPQ), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Fear Avoidance Components Scale (FACS) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered. Demographic, pain, obstetric and neonatal characteristics were also collected accordingly. RESULTS Of the 880 women studied, 121 (13.8%) had high acute postpartum pain at 0 to 24 h after delivery. A-LPQ total, PCS, FACS and STAI scores were not significantly associated with acute postpartum pain. Greater A-LPQ subscale on birthing pain (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.0008), increased blood loss during delivery (for every 10ml change; aOR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, p = 0.0148), presence of shoulder dystocia (aOR 10.06, 95% CI 2.28-44.36, p = 0.0023), and use of pethidine for labor analgesia (aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.07-2.84, p = 0.0271) were independently associated with high acute postpartum pain. "Sometimes" having nausea during menstruation before current pregnancy (aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.72, p = 0.0045) was found to be independently associated with reduced risk of high acute postpartum pain. CONCLUSIONS Pre-delivery pain factor together with obstetric complications (shoulder dystocia, blood loss during delivery) were independently associated with high acute postpartum pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov registry (NCT03167905) on 30/05/2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin Wen Tan
- Department of Women's Anesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore, Singapore
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Rehena Sultana
- Center for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hon Sen Tan
- Department of Women's Anesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore, Singapore
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ban Leong Sng
- Department of Women's Anesthesia, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore, Singapore.
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, Singapore.
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Zuo R, Dang J, Zhuang J, Chen Q, Zhang J, Zheng H, Wang Z. The incidence of breakthrough pain of different programmed intermittent bolus volumes for labor epidural analgesia: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Obstet Anesth 2022; 51:103571. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2022.103571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Tan C, Tan H, Lim L, Sultana R, Sng B. Translation and linguistic validation of the Chinese version of angle labor pain questionnaire. BALI JOURNAL OF ANESTHESIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/bjoa.bjoa_121_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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Tan A, Wilson AN, Eghrari D, Clark H, Tse WC, Bohren MA, Homer C, Vogel JP. Outcomes to measure the effects of pharmacological interventions for pain management for women during labour and birth: a review of systematic reviews and randomised trials. BJOG 2021; 129:845-854. [PMID: 34839565 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmacological pain management options can relieve women's pain during labour and birth. Trials of these interventions have used a wide variety of outcomes, complicating meaningful comparisons of their effects. To facilitate better assessment of the effectiveness of labour pain management in trials and meta-analyses, consensus about key outcomes and the development of a core outcome set is essential. OBJECTIVE To identify all outcomes used in studies of pharmacological pain management interventions during labour and birth. DESIGN A review of systematic reviews and their included randomised controlled trials was undertaken. SEARCH STRATEGY Cochrane CENTRAL was searched to identify all Cochrane systematic reviews describing pharmacological pain management options for labour and birth. Search terms included 'pain management', 'labour' and variants, with no limits on year of publication or language. SELECTION CRITERIA Cochrane reviews and randomised controlled trials contained within these reviews were included, provided they compared a pharmacological intervention with other pain management options, placebo or no treatment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS All outcomes reported by reviews or trials were extracted and tabulated, with frequencies of individual outcomes reported. MAIN RESULTS Nine Cochrane reviews and 227 unique trials were included. In total, 146 unique outcomes were identified and categorised into maternal, fetal, neonatal, child, health service, provider's perspective or economic outcome domains. CONCLUSIONS Outcomes of pharmacological pain management interventions during labour and birth vary widely between trials. The standardisation of trial outcomes would permit the assessment of meta-analyses for best clinical practice. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT Outcomes to measure pharmacological pain management options during labour are highly variable and require standardisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Tan
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - A N Wilson
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - D Eghrari
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - H Clark
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - W C Tse
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Science, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia
| | - M A Bohren
- Gender and Women's Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Vic., Australia
| | - Cse Homer
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - J P Vogel
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
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Hussain N, Lagnese CM, Hayes B, Kumar N, Weaver TE, Essandoh MK, Reno J, Small RH, Abdallah FW. Comparative analgesic efficacy and safety of intermittent local anaesthetic epidural bolus for labour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Anaesth 2020; 125:560-579. [PMID: 32703549 DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Continuous epidural infusion (CEI) is commonly used for labour analgesia, but concerns over potential motor block, second-stage labour complications, and ineffective analgesia in late labour have prompted examining intermittent epidural bolus (IEB) as an alternative. However, evidence comparing these modalities is conflicting. The meta-analysis evaluates the analgesic efficacy of CEI vs IEB. METHODS Databases were searched for trials comparing CEI to IEB for labour analgesia. The two co-primary outcomes were risk of breakthrough pain and difference in area under the curve (AUC) for pain scores during the first 4 h post-epidural initiation. Local anaesthetic consumption, maternal outcomes (i.e. delivery mode, labour duration, and maternal satisfaction), and side-effects of epidural analgesia were also evaluated. Results were pooled using random-effects modelling. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was used to evaluate evidence reliability. RESULTS Twenty-seven studies (3133 patients) were analysed. Compared with CEI, IEB decreased risk of breakthrough pain by 38% (risk ratio [95% confidence interval {CI}] of 0.62 [0.48, 0.81]; P=0.0004; I2=47%; 1164 patients) and reduced AUC of pain during the 4 h interval by 32.9% (mean difference [95% CI] of -16.7 mm h-1 [-18.9, -14.4]; P<0.0001; 1638 patients). Intermittent epidural bolus enhanced maternal satisfaction, shortened labour duration, decreased motor block, and reduced local anaesthetic consumption. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant for epidural side-effects or mode of delivery. The TSA indicated adequate power for reliable inferences. CONCLUSIONS Intermittent epidural bolus provides improved labour pain control during the first 4 h after epidural initiation with less breakthrough pain. Moderate- to high-quality evidence of intermittent epidural bolus superiority support its use as a safe and effective continuous epidural infusion alternative for labour analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasir Hussain
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Christopher M Lagnese
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Blair Hayes
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Nicolas Kumar
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Tristan E Weaver
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael K Essandoh
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joseph Reno
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Robert H Small
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Faraj W Abdallah
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, North York General Hospital, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Ronel I, Weiniger CF. A broadening choice for labor analgesia: remifentanil on the á la carte menu. Int J Obstet Anesth 2019; 39:1-6. [PMID: 31230989 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2019.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- I Ronel
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - C F Weiniger
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Research on labor pain currently uses standard scores such as numerical scales as clinical outcomes, but no clear guidelines for such an assessment have appeared since a review published in 1998. We aimed to describe and estimate the quality of the methods used to assess and analyze such outcomes in a systematic review of 215 comparative studies published since then in 27 influential journals. METHODS In addition to a complete description, we created for each study a composite "analysis quality score" (AQS) on the basis of the methods of both measurement of pain/analgesia, and statistical analysis. AQS was tested against various factors, including a "design quality score" (DQS), created to estimate methodological quality (regardless of the analysis of pain intensity). RESULTS Both the AQS and its "measurement" component increased with the year of publication, as well as the DQS. The impact factor correlated only with the statistical component of the AQS, and with the DQS. However, the mean AQS and DQS were, respectively, at 43% and 75% of their maximal possible value, and these 2 scores were not correlated. The intensity of labor pain (or pain relief) was the primary outcome in 19% of the studies. Although most of the studies actually used numerical scales, the methods of analysis were heterogeneous. When a cutoff point was determined to define analgesia, this was most often 30% of the maximal value. DISCUSSION This review points out the need for a better standardization of the methods in this field of research.
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