Pain management in recovery

Recovery room practitioners lay the corner stone for postoperative recuperation in patients undergoing surgical procedures. This article highlights how some aspects of the role, such as pain assessment, commencement of the prescribed analgesic regimen and pain control can be very challenging, for a variety of reasons. The aim, therefore, is to follow a typical patient journey in a structured manner, beginning with a demonstration of how provision of information empowers patients during the key phase of postoperative recovery. This is followed by a description of some assessment tools best suited to patients recovering from anaesthesia who are experiencing acute, postoperative pain. Consequences of under-treated pain are discussed and treatment modalities are described.