Opportunities for Shared Decision-Making in the Management of Acute Pain in Asia-Pacific Countries

This expert elicitation involving nine key opinion leaders from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand aimed to describe current gaps in post-operative pain (POP) and low back pain (LBP) management in Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries and provide recommendations for the adoption of shared decision-making in acute pain management. Gaps in acute pain management due to patient or healthcare professional (HCP) challenges were identified. Patient challenges include inadequate understanding of the consequences of poorly managed acute pain, the goals of pain management and how to manage acute pain at home, as well as non-adherence to pain medications. Additionally, HCPs may have limited time to discuss pain management and treatment goals with patients or insufficient training in how to assess and manage acute pain. Several solutions based on shared decision-making principles were identified. These include training HCPs in pain management to support timely assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as best practices for effectively communicating information to patients (e.g., using the Seek, Help, Assess, Reach, Evaluate (SHARE) approach). Other solutions include implementing tools for assessing multiple aspects of patient pain, improving public awareness of available treatments, and the provision of accessible learning materials to improve patient understanding of POP, LBP, and available management options. Furthermore, adopting a multidisciplinary approach that fosters HCP collaboration and addresses the full pain experience may lead to more accurate diagnoses and improved treatment outcomes. Shared decision-making offers a solution to the current gaps in acute pain management in APAC countries. Educating patients and training HCPs will be key to achieving a mutual understanding of symptoms and available treatment, the basis of shared decision-making, potentially improving clinical outcomes.