title: Acute pain services and postsurgical pain management in the Netherlands: a survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute postoperative pain is still inadequately managed, despite the presence of acute pain services (APSs). This study aimed to investigate the existence, structure, and responsibilities of Dutch APSs and to review the implementation of the Dutch Hospital Patient Safety Program (DHPSP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Information was gathered by a digital questionnaire, sent to all 96 Dutch hospitals performing surgical procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Completed questionnaires were received from 80 hospitals (83%), of which 90% have an APS. Important duties of the APS are regular patient rounds, checking complex pain techniques (100%), supporting quality improvement of pain management (87%), pain education (100%), and pain research (21%).
  Regular in-hospital pain training is not provided in 46% of the hospitals. Thirteen percent of the hospitals offer no patient information about pain management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost all hospitals have an APS. They differ in both the way they are locally organized, along with the activities they employ. Future research needs to compare the effect of patient and nonpatient-related activities of APSs on outcomes related to pain management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Pain & Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Regina L M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0962-2944
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: van Boekel
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Pain & Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Monique A H
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Steegers
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Verbeek-van Noord
authors.affiliation: HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Sande
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Pain & Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kris C P
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Vissers
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D018710:Pain Clinics; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: acute pain service; acute, pain; pain assessment; pain measurement; pain service; postoperative; survey