This approach has been design ed to provide adequate analgesia while minimizing exposure to adverse events
Background : Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has advantages over the open procedure for postoperative pain .
However , a systematic review of postoperative pain management in this procedure has not been conducted .
An intervention study to enhance postoperative pain management.
UNLABELLED This study , conducted before and after the implementation of an  acute pain service ( APS ) in a 1000-bed hospital , describes the process of the implementation of an APS . The nursing , anesthesia , and surgery departments were involved . In this study we sought to evaluate the results of a continuous quality improvement program by defining quality indicators and using quality tools . A quality program in accordance with current st and ards of acute pain treatment ( multimodal ) was worked out to enhance pain relief for all surgical in patients . A survey of nurses ' knowledge with regard to postoperative pain was conducted , and a  visual analog scale ( VAS ) was introduced to assess pain intensity . Both nurses and physicians became familiar with evidence -based guidelines concerning postoperative pain . The entire process was monitored in three consecutive surveys and enrolled 2383 surgical in patients .  Pain indicators based on VAS and analgesic consumption were recorded during the first 72 postoperative hours . After a baseline survey about current practice s of pain treatment , a nurse-based , anesthesiologist-supervised APS was implemented . The improvement in pain relief , expressed as VAS scores , was assessed in two further surveys . A quality manual was written and implemented . A major improvement in pain scores was observed after the APS inception ( P < 0.001 ) . IMPLICATION S The implementation of an acute pain service , including pain assessment by a visual analog scale , st and ard multimodal pain treatment , and continuous quality evaluation , improved postoperative pain relief . Establishing teams of surgeons , anesthesiologists , and nurses is the prerequisite for this improvement
This approach has been design ed to provide adequate analgesia while minimizing exposure to adverse events
Background : Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has advantages over the open procedure for postoperative pain .
However , a systematic review of postoperative pain management in this procedure has not been conducted .