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Emergency medicine, pain assessment, pain management, ultrasound

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Selected Publications

Minotti B, Mansella G, Sieber R, Ott A, Nickel CH, & Bingisser R. (2022). Intravenous acetaminophen does not reduce morphine use for pain relief in emergency department patients: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Academic Emergency Medicine, 29(8), 954–962. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.14517

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Schweizer L, Sieber R, Nickel CH, & Minotti B. (2022). Ability of pain scoring scales to differentiate between patients desiring analgesia and those who do not in the emergency department. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 57, 107–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2022.04.046

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Abgottspon D, Putora K, Kinkel J, Süveg K, Widmann B, Hornung R, & Minotti B. (2022). Accuracy of Point-of-care Ultrasound in Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis During Pregnancy. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(6), 913–918. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2022.8.56638

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Selected Projects & Collaborations

Defining the need for analgesia in the emergency department: protocol for an international Delphi Process

Research Project | 12 Project Members

Introduction
The high prevalence of pain in the emergency department (ED) highlights the importance of an accurate assessments to provide effective interventions. However, common pain scales such as the numerical pain rating scale have shown limitations in assessing analgesic requirements and adequacy. The ideal outcome for evaluating a pain scale predicting analgesic requirements would be the “need for analgesia”, for which there is no universally accepted definition. Accordingly, the primary aim of this study is to define the “need for analgesia” using an interdisciplinary approach. The secondary aim is to define the “adequacy of analgesia”.

Methods and analysis
A two-stage modified Delphi process will be conducted by a core study group chosen for its expertise in ED pain management. A larger expert panel, identified through a comprehensive search in Scopus and CINAHL databases, will be invited to participate in the study and will be supplemented by patients recruited via International Patient Organizations. In Stage 1, the expert panel will complete a written survey to collect potential clinical variables for defining the “need for analgesia” and “adequacy of analgesia”. The core study group will elaborate these variables. In stage 2, the same participants will use a five-point Likert scale to achieve consensus defined as 80% of combined agreement on the proposed variables. The same process will be used to define the “adequacy of analgesia”.

Ethics and Dissemination
The Ethics Committee of Northwestern and Central Switzerland exempted the project from committee approval under the Human Research Act. Written consent will be obtained from all participants. Results will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Open-Label Placebo for Non-specific Pain in the Emergency Department: a Mixed-method Randomised Control Feasibility Study

Research Project | 6 Project Members

This project is a collaboration between the Emergency Department at the University Hospital of Basel and the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Basel. The investigation will analyze whether an intervention consisting of open-label placebo tablets is feasible for patients with non-specific pain in the emergency department. Open-label placebos are administered without deception, meaning the patients are aware they are taking a placebo. Patients will be randomized into intervention group (OLP) or control group (treatment as usual) with ibuprofen. The study duration for patients is 30 days.