Opiophobia in Emergency Department Healthcare Providers: A Survey in Western Switzerland
type: Article
item type: journalArticle
is part of: J Clin Med
authors: Person
  surname: Bertrand
  given name: S.
authors: Person
  surname: Meynet
  given name: G.
authors: Person
  surname: Taffe
  given name: P.
authors: Person
  surname: Della Santa
  given name: V.
authors: Person
  surname: Fishman
  given name: D.
authors: Person
  surname: Fournier
  given name: Y.
authors: Person
  surname: Frochaux
  given name: V.
authors: Person
  surname: Ribordy
  given name: V.
authors: Person
  surname: Rutschmann
  given name: O. T.
authors: Person
  surname: Hugli
  given name: O.
subject: acute pain
subject: emergency department
subject: morphine
subject: opiates
subject: opiophobia
subject: risk-taking
subject: risks
subject: uncertainty
abstract: Opiophobia contributes to oligoanalgesia in the emergency department (ED), but its definition varies, and its association to healthcare providers' personality traits has been scantly explored. Our purpose was to study the different definitions of opiophobia and their association with two personality traits of doctors and nurses working in EDs, namely the stress from uncertainty and risk-taking. We used three online questionnaires: the 'Attitude Towards Morphine Use' Score (ATMS), the Stress From Uncertainty Scale (SUS) and the Risk-Taking Scale (RTS). Doctors and nurses from nine hospital EDs in francophone Switzerland were invited to participate. The ATMS score was analyzed according to demographic characteristics, SUS, and RTS. The response rate was 56%, with 57% of respondents being nurses and 63% women. Doctors, less experienced and non-indigenous participants had a significantly higher ATMS (all p </= 0.01). The main contributors of the ATMS were the fear of side effects and of addiction. In multivariate analysis, being a doctor, less experience and non-indigenous status were predictive of the ATMS; each point of the SUS increased the ATMS by 0.24 point. The fear of side effects and of addiction were the major contributors of opiophobia among ED healthcare providers; opiophobia was also associated with their personality traits.
date: 2021-04-04
coverage: 33805916

J Clin Med
type: Journal
volume: 10
number: 7
identifier: DOI 10.3390/jcm10071353
identifier: ISSN 2077-0383 (Print) 2077-0383 (Electronic) 2077-0383 (Linking)