title: Establishing a nurse-based, anesthesiologist-supervised inpatient acute pain service: experience of 4,617 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe our nurse-based Acute Pain Services (APS) and present the results of 4617 patients treated by our service.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive audit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Large referral hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  4617 patients treated by the APS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analgesic regimens [basic pain treatment, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), epidural analgesia, spinal analgesia, and wound instillation], as well as the associated patient monitoring and event-response algorithms are detailed. The mean visual analog score (VAS) for pain was low. A VAS for pain greater than 30 mm was noted in 15.3% of all pain scores recorded. Bradypnea (respiratory rate < 10 breaths/min) was recorded in 19 patients (overall incidence = 0.4%). No complications resulting in sustained morbidity or mortality occurred. Of the patients, 96% described their overall satisfaction with the APS as either good or excellent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A nurse-based APS provides effective and safe postoperative pain management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Meir Hospital, Kfar Saba, Israel.
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Edna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zohar
authors.forename: Margalit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kantor
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Memrod
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fredman
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000451:nursing; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / Q000451:nursing; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003625:Data Collection; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009731:Nursing Audit; D018710:Pain Clinics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000779:Anesthetics, Local