ASSESSING PROCEDURAL PAIN IN MECHANICALLY VENTILATED PATIENTS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF INTENSIVE CARE AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY, 19-8 HOSPITAL

Objectives: To describe pain intensity during endotracheal suctioning, repositioning, and oral care using the Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS), and to explore associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study included 145 mechanically ventilated patients at the Department of Intensive Care and Clinical Toxicology, 19-8 Hospital (Dec 2024–Sep 2025). Each patient was assessed once for each procedure, yielding 435 assessments; each procedure was analyzed separately in 145 patients. BPS was recorded during the procedure, and BPS ≥7 indicated at least moderate pain. Spearman correlation and Mann–Whitney tests were used. Comparisons in Table 3.5 were considered exploratory univariable analyses and were checked using Holm adjustment. Results: The prevalence of BPS ≥7 was 77.9% during suctioning, 51.7% during repositioning, and 26.9% during oral care. RASS correlated positively with BPS across all procedures (rho = 0.31–0.35; p<0.001). Several univariable differences by sex, diagnosis, airway type, and sedation/analgesia had raw p values <0.05; these differences did not remain statistically significant after Holm adjustment and were treated as trends requiring confirmation. Conclusions: In this sample, BPS ≥7 was most frequently observed during suctioning. The association between RASS and BPS was consistent; subgroup trends may help identify patients who warrant closer pain assessment but do not establish independent associations or treatment effects.