title: "CAPS" Cardiac Acute Pain Services-A Nationwide Survey From Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute Pain Services (APS) are well-established worldwide; however, their availability and use in cardiac surgery units are less widespread and, even where present, may be provided less consistently. The authors undertook this survey to assess the current organization of Cardiac Acute Pain Services (CAPS) in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospectively administered survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included all centers in Canada that conducted adult cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were anesthesiologists.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 20-item questionnaire covered the demographics, functioning and APS structure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The authors achieved a response rate of 100% with completed questionnaires from all 31 centers. Ten centers (32.3%) stated that they had a dedicated CAPS, 9 centers (29%) stated that they did not have an APS, and 12 centers (38.7%) had APS but no CAPS. At the time of the survey for the 10 centers with CAPS, 3 of the CAPS had a physician-run model, 4 had a combined physician and nurse service, and 1 used a combination of protocols, intensivists, and nurse practitioners. Nine centers had an anesthesiologist assigned to daily acute pain rounds. Only in 2 of 10 centers with CAPS were more than 50% of their cardiac surgery patients receiving care. In general, postoperative pain management was a protocol-driven activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAPS are varied in both structure and functioning. Further work is required both at the institutional and the national levels to improve the postoperative care and the pain-related outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada;. Electronic address: cogan.jennifer@me.com.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eipe
authors.affiliation: Pain Center, Hospital Hotel-Dieu du CHUM.
authors.forename: Grisell
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vargas-Schaffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ouimette
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belisle
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D000072080:Anesthesiologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Acute Pain Service; cardiac surgery; survey