Improving outcomes of postoperative
pain management: the way to go
IASP Acute Pain SIG
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The mission of the Acute Pain SIG is “to study underlying mechanisms of acute pain, including the transition from acute to chronic pain, and the implications of acute pain therapy for clinical outcome and quality of life.” Research is ongoing about the outcomes of postoperative pain management that are clinically important for better comfort and early recovery. Maintaining the capacity of daily functioning and to perform useful activities such as turning in bed, breathing deeply and coughing, sitting in a chair etc is known to be crucial for preventing complications. The first part of this symposium will cover outcomes of postoperative pain management, focusing on regional anesthesia and integrative medicine. Still, it is increasingly clear that the decades-old problem of undertreated postoperative pain is not because of lack of effective drugs or techniques but to a lack of an organized, multidisciplinary approach, such as APS which uses existing treatments. Nowadays, expanding the role of the APS to an interdisciplinary Transitional Pain Service seems also promising. Therefore, these topics will be discussed in the second part. At the end, we would like to suggest a research agenda on these issues elaborated by the Acute Pain SIG and participants of the satellite symposium.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Demonstrate an understanding of relevant outcomes for managing pain after surgery.
- Understand how regional anesthesia and parts of integrative medicine can demonstrate better outcomes.
- Understand the impact of acute pain services and transitional pain services on pain outcomes.
- Understand the benefits of monitoring patient reported outcomes.