[Costs of patient controlled analgesia in postoperative pain management in Germany]

This systematic literature review was conducted to analyze the costs of postoperative patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in Germany.

The literature search comprised the search criteria "therapeutic procedure", "postoperative pain management", the routes of administration "intravenous PCA" (PCIA) and "epidural PCA" (PCEA), as well as their corresponding costs and economic analyses.

Due to differences in indications, calculated costs and medical expenses it was not possible to compare the results from the respective studies.

A critical examination of benefits and costs of therapeutic options in hospitals has become necessary with the implementation of the German DRG compensation system. This has created a substantial need for the optimization of resources and processes. There is an enormous demand for research on the costs for PCA in Germany. The identification of cost-driving factors is necessary to determine saving potentials and thereby develop new technologies for postoperative analgesia.