Prehospital Analgesia in Trauma: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence

Objectives

Pain management is integral to prehospital trauma care. However, due to multiple challenges, pain is frequently undertreated despite important physiologic and psychologic implications. Among these challenges is uncertainty regarding the safety and effectiveness of pharmacologic agents administered enroute. We aimed to evaluate the level of evidence for the safety and effectiveness of prehospital pharmacologic analgesia for acutely injured adult trauma patients.