[Mild to moderate postoperative pain: the PATHOS survey results for Spain versus other European countries]

The Postoperative Analgesic Therapy Observational Survey (PATHOS) was designed to identify the current state of postoperative pain in specific areas and the needs and opportunities for improving treatment. We compared the results obtained in Spain with those obtained in the rest of Europe between August 2004 and June 2005.

A prospective observational multicenter, multinational study in 7 European countries. The data on postoperative pain management were obtained anonymously by means of a standardized multiple-choice questionnaire.

Participation was higher among surgeons (68%) in Spain and among anesthesiologists (69%) in other European countries. Systematic presurgical information on the treatment of postoperative pain was provided to 22.2% of patients undergoing surgery in Spain. Organized structures for the treatment of postoperative pain are less common in Spanish hospitals (47%) than in other European hospitals (69%). Anesthesiologists are less often those who inform patients about postoperative pain in Spain than in other European countries. Only 25.9% of Spanish hospitals have written protocols for treating postoperative pain. Pain was not evaluated in 39% of patients who underwent surgery in Spain.

There is inadequate treatment of postoperative pain, and the problem is greater in Spain than in the other European countries participating in PATHOS. The results should help to identify opportunities for improvement.