TOPLINE:

Patients with higher intensity of pain at hospital admission, during the stay, and at discharge were more likely to be readmitted, with pain at discharge as the strongest independent predictor for early readmission.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether the intensity of pain that patients felt at different timepoints in the hospital stay predicted if they would be readmitted later.
• They included 7277 adults (mean age, 68.7 years; 55.5% female) admitted to internal medicine wards across a Swiss public hospital network between 2020 and 2023, with a hospital stay of at least 48 hours.
• Nurses recorded pain reported by patients using an 11-point visual analog scale, in which 0 indicated no pain and 10 the worst pain imaginable. Pain was documented at admission, at every nursing shift during the stay, and at discharge.
• Researchers assessed all-cause readmissions at 18 and 30 days and at 3, 6, and 9 months after discharge.

TAKEAWAY:

• Mean pain scores decreased from 4.7 at admission to 1.9 at discharge, with a peak mean score of 5.9 during the hospital stay. Readmissions occurred in less than 2% of patients within 18 days, in about 10% within 3 months, in 14.4% within 6 months, and in 17.8% within 9 months of discharge.
• An increased intensity of pain at discharge was associated with a 10% increased odds of readmission at 30 days and a 6% increased odds at 3 months (P < .05 for both), with similar patterns at 6 and 9 months.
• Higher intensities of pain at admission and peak pain during hospitalization were each associated with an increased likelihood of readmission, with different temporal patterns.
• A higher intensity of pain at discharge was associated with a 31% increased odds of readmission at 18 days in patients older than 65 years (P = .015) and a 26% increased odds of readmission at 30 days in patients aged 65 years or younger (P = .003).

IN PRACTICE:

“The results emphasize the critical role of pain assessment and treatment in improving the quality of care and reducing healthcare utilization,” the researchers of the study wrote. “The emphasis on discharge pain reflects its unique role as a modifiable factor at the transition of care, when targeted interventions can most feasibly be implemented to reduce readmission risk.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Nicola Grignoli, PhD, Cantonal Sociopsychiatric Organisation, Public Health Division, Mendrisio, Switzerland. It was published online on January 21, 2026, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The retrospective study did not imply that pain caused readmissions. Pain scores were based on what patients reported, and how staff measured and treated pain differed, which may have affected accuracy. Some patients who were unable to report pain were excluded.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.