The report found that about half of the patients treated with conventional therapy following surgery experience moderate to severe levels of pain. Over 23 million surgeries are performed each year, and the majority are managed with conventional pain therapy. It included specialists in anesthesiology, neurology, surgery, pediatrics, family medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, psychology and medical ethics, and a consumer representative. However, unrelieved pain after surgery or trauma is often unhealthy and can delay recovery. Fears of post-surgical addiction to opioids are generally groundless.
Patients have a right to treatment that includes prevention or adequate relief of pain.
Doctors need to plan for pain reduction before surgery and inform patients what to expect. For example, when pain is properly prevented during cesarean sections, patients may require less pain medication afterward. In addition, patients should be encouraged not to be stoic but to request pain medication before pain becomes severe and difficult to control. Patients who are told what discomforts to expect may actually experience decreased pain, less use of analgesics and shorter hospitalizations. Many do not receive opioids after surgery even though painful postoperative experiences are expected.