Patients Express Satisfaction With Oral Pain Management During Shock Wave Lithotripsy

ABSTRACT Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL) is a technique for treating kidney stones. A Danish university hospital implemented a new pain management strategy focused on oral painkillers instead of intravenous opioid analgesics. This study aimed to evaluate patients' satisfaction with the new strategy during SWL and their overall treatment satisfaction. Patients were prospectively recruited in March 2020 to July 2021 and provided informed consent. A validated questionnaire was used to assess pain and satisfaction, pre‐ and post‐treatment. Demographic information, characteristics of the kidney stone, and pain treatment were also recorded. Pain was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and satisfaction was rated using NRS 0–10. A total of 108 patients (66% men) were included, with a mean age of 56 years (SD 14.3). Most included patients (92%) received oral painkillers (paracetamol and ibuprofen) as pre‐treatment pain relief, while 7% received sublingual fentanyl. Non‐pharmacological pain‐relieving methods, like relaxation and listening to music, were used by 64% of patients. The mean pain score during treatment was 4.9 (SD 2.9), and the median satisfaction score with pain treatment was 9 (IQR 6–10). The overall satisfaction score was 10 (IQR 8–10). 89% were highly satisfied (NRS 8–10) and willing to repeat treatment. Patients were highly satisfied with outpatient SWL and oral painkillers alone. The extensive use of non‐pharmacological pain relief suggests alternative pain management strategies should be further investigated and developed.