Articles: pain-clinics.
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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Mar 2005
ReviewOrganization, function, and implementation of acute pain service.
Undertreatment of postoperative pain continues to be a major problem internationally. The solution does not seem to be the development of new analgesic drugs or technologies but the development of an appropriate organization that utilizes existing expertise. ⋯ Although the number of hospitals with an APS is increasing, the literature is unclear about the optimal structure, staffing, and function. There is a need for the development of well-defined APS criteria with which to assess performance and compare with national standards.
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The two main goals of chest pain units are the early, accurate diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes and the rapid, efficient recognition of low-risk patients who do not need hospital admission. Many clinical, practical, and economic reasons support the establishment of such units. Patients with chest pain account for a substantial proportion of emergency room turnover and their care is still far from optimal: 8% of patients sent home are later diagnosed of acute coronary syndrome and 60% of admissions for chest pain eventually prove to have been unnecessary. ⋯ Initial triage is based on the clinical characteristics, the ECG and biomarkers of myocardial infarct. Risk stratification in the second phase selects patients to be admitted to the chest pain unit for 6-12 h. Finally, we propose treadmill testing before discharge to rule out the presence of acute myocardial ischemia or damage in patients with negative biomarkers and non-diagnostic serial ECGs.
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The rational approach to acute pain management is to use the highest quality evidence available. Acute pain management is more than a collection of interventions. It is a package of care that needs to be examined as a whole as well as in its parts. ⋯ Existing tools can do the job if doctors and nurses are educated, both to dispel the myths and misconceptions and to take responsibility for providing pain control. It is much easier to dispel myths when you have the evidence. In 1846, the first anaesthetic provided pain-free surgery - 150 years later patients should not have to endure unrelieved pain anywhere in the hospital.