title: [Management of postoperative pain in surgical units].
abstract: In order to improve the management of postoperative pain many publications insist on progressive changes in care organization. The following list outlines steps to be taken for implementation of these changes: 1) an initial analysis of management of post-operative pain allows awareness of reforms to be proposed; 2) participation of health teams in special training in order to use evaluation tools and collect data (use of analgesics, adverse effects); 3) establishing policies and procedures: recovery room, guidelines for analgesic use and adverse effects; 4) notifying patient about the various procedures to be used in postoperative period--discussion with the patient during the preoperative interview; 5) current use of standard patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and locoregional analgesia; 6) use of combined techniques in order to achieve a balanced analgesia; 7) implementing a quality assurance programme which should include analgesic effectiveness, patient satisfaction and prevention of complications; and 8) planning of an Acute Pain Service based on a clinical nurse co-ordinator which offers highly effective forms of postsurgical analgesia.
authors.affiliation: Clinique des Cèdres, Cornebarrieu, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delbos
mesh_terms: D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*