Selecting appropriate analgesia is an important aspect of patient centred care in the day surgery and recovery room environment. Analgesic options are determined by the type of surgery, expected levels of pain, and the patient’s medical history. Anaesthetists and nurses work collaboratively to reduce pain, while minimising side effects from medications in order to provide patients with the best outcome. Specific education regarding pain management including analgesia prior to discharge is essential to enable patients (and their carers) to understand and manage the options to achieve effective analgesia during their post-operative recovery when they are managing their own medications at home. Patients should also always be given advice on what actions to take if the pain increases, spreads, suddenly worsens, or is uncontrolled.
Analgesia choices for day surgery patients include:
References:
https://www.anzca.edu.au/documents/ps15-2010-recommendations-for-the-perioperative-ca.pdf
https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/postoperative-pain-management-2
https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/perioperative-analgesia