Evidence-based practice part 3: acute pain management of the perianesthesia patient

Evidence exists that pain is inadequately controlled in most patients. This is caused, in part, by the fact that doctors and nurses have based clinical practice on myths and misconceptions about pain medications, rather than by using evidence-based research. Evidence also exists that when pain is adequately controlled, there is greater patient satisfaction with care. The purpose of Part 3 in this series on pain is to review the literature on inadequate pain management, to review Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) guidelines for correcting the inadequacy of pain control, and to review evidence-based medications used for pain management.