• Arie Shapiro, Edna Zohar, Margalit Kantor, Judy Memrod, and Brian Fredman.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Meir Hospital, Kfar Saba, Israel.
• J Clin Anesth. 2004 Sep 1;16(6):415-20.

Study ObjectiveTo describe our nurse-based Acute Pain Services (APS) and present the results of 4617 patients treated by our service.DesignDescriptive audit.SettingLarge referral hospital.Patients4617 patients treated by the APS.Measurement And Main ResultsAnalgesic regimens [basic pain treatment, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), epidural analgesia, spinal analgesia, and wound instillation], as well as the associated patient monitoring and event-response algorithms are detailed. The mean visual analog score (VAS) for pain was low. A VAS for pain greater than 30 mm was noted in 15.3% of all pain scores recorded. Bradypnea (respiratory rate < 10 breaths/min) was recorded in 19 patients (overall incidence = 0.4%). No complications resulting in sustained morbidity or mortality occurred. Of the patients, 96% described their overall satisfaction with the APS as either good or excellent.ConclusionA nurse-based APS provides effective and safe postoperative pain management.

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