Pain control: patient and staff perceptions of PCA

In the United Kingdom, patient controlled analgesia (PCA) has been used primarily as a research tool and its place in the treatment of postoperative pain is only slowly being established. The concept of patients being able to control their own pain relief is therefore new to staff and patients. In this study, a small part of a larger study concerned with the personality characteristics and the effectiveness of PCA which formed the basis of the author's PhD research, 70 patients who had used PCA for postoperative pain relief, and 20 nursing and anaesthetic staff, completed a questionnaire about PCA. The results showed a high level of enthusiasm for PCA among all categories of respondents.