However, 58% of respondents indicated that they
experienced mild–moderate pain, with 42% experiencing
severe pain. This is consistent with similar studies, which have
reported significant numbers of patients experiencing severe
pain (Dihle et al, 2006b; Niemi-Murola et al, 2007). However,
this high incidence of severe pain needs to be viewed in
context with 58% stating that their pain was controlled
and they were comfortable within 1 hour of experiencing
their worst pain, although for 42% this process took over
1 hour and, in three cases, over 2 hours. Similar delays have
been found in other studies (Brown and McCormack, 2006;
Niemi-Murola et al, 2007), highlighting the absence of a
recognised standard for an acceptable time that pain should
be brought to a comfortable level.