Der Schmerz
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Up to the early 2000s the need for optimization in the treatment of acute pain in hospitals was highlighted. Only a few successes were achieved in the optimization process. As the acute pain care in Germany remained persistently unsatisfactory, the first health services research projects in pain medicine were initiated. These were intended to achieve improvements in patient care. ⋯ The systematic approach in the projects with the collation of scientific data in real-life care has achieved optimization in acute pain management. The foundations were laid for further healthcare research in pain treatment in Germany; however, the projects also revealed limitations in the inclusion of vulnerable patient groups.