Perioperative pain management refers to the actions taken before, during and after a surgical procedure with the aim of reducing postoperative pain, improving surgical outcomes and supporting post-operative pain recovery. Traditionally, this has been an area managed by the anaesthetist working with your surgeon. However, pain specialists are in increasingly high demand in the operative planning of patients because of our expertise in all things pain.
Inadequately controlled pain before and after surgery can negatively affect quality of life, prolong post-operative recovery periods, and increase the risk of persistent post-surgical pain and other surgical complications. Having an effective perioperative pain management plan in place can improve post-operative pain control, improve recovery, reduce length of hospital stay and improve patient satisfaction, surgical and pain management outcomes.
A perioperative treatment plan can be beneficial for all patients undergoing surgery. In particular are those patients who have chronic pain, medical and/or psychiatric comorbidities and those who have been on long term opioid treatment prior to their surgery. These patients tend to require higher levels of pain relief after their surgery and are also at a higher risk of developing persistent post-surgical pain and other surgical complications.
The doctors at Anodyne can work with you, your anaesthetist and surgeon before, during and after your operation. We will aim to optimise your pain before surgery, improve your physical and mental fitness, and help set up a pain management plan as part of the operation itself. If you are having an operation at one of the hospitals our doctors work at, we can visit you during your hospital stay to check in and assist in ensuring everything is going to plan.
If you are interested in setting up a perioperative pain management plan, please discuss this with your anaesthetist and/or surgeon and we would be happy to accept a referral. Or you can speak with us directly at Anodyne and we will coordinate the next steps with your surgical team.