To Gemma Robleda and Josep-E. Baños of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Pompeu Fabra University, respectively, for the project: "Evaluating pain in adults without the capacity for communication. A bioethical analysis in hospitalization units for critical patients" [L'avaluació del dolor en persones adultes sense capacitat de comunicació. Un anàlisi bioètic en les unitats d'hospitalització de pacients crítics].

Establishing the existence and intensity of pain is necessary if we are to provide pain relief, but in practice it is often very difficult to do so, particularly in patients who lack the capacity for communication. This study aims to analyze the pain evaluation methods used in units caring for critical patients, and to identify how frequently they are used. It will also seek to identify the pain relief treatments applied in painful procedures in these units, and to discover the opinions of the health professionals who work in them.