Acute Pain Management in the Perioperative Setting

Anesthesiologists offering perioperative analgesia services should provide, in collaboration with other healthcare professionals as appropriate, ongoing education and training to ensure that hospital personnel are knowledgeable and skilled with regard to the effective and safe use of the available treatment options within the institution.

• Educational content should range from basic bedside pain assessment to sophisticated pain management techniques (e.g. , epidural analgesia, PCA, and various regional anesthesia techniques) and nonpharmacologic techniques (e.g. , relaxation, imagery, hypnotic methods).
• For optimal pain management, ongoing education and training are essential for new personnel, to maintain skills, and whenever therapeutic approaches are modified.