Abstract
Assessment and treatment of postoperative pain are essential for patient recovery after surgery. However, emphasis on adequate pain control by The Joint Commission has led to opioid overprescribing and contributed to the prescription opioid epidemic. A majority of patients who undergo surgery report inadequate pain control. Causes are multifactorial and include lack of accurate assessment and patient fear of adverse effects or addiction from medications. Poorly controlled pain contributes to postoperative complications such as pneumonia, delirium, delayed wound healing, and development of chronic pain, while optimal pain control improves patient satisfaction and quality of recovery. Enhanced recovery pathways are aimed at limiting narcotics through multimodal analgesia. This chapter aims to discuss the evaluation of postoperative pain in opioid naïve adult patients and the pharmacologic agents available to treat pain.
Published Version
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