Creation of a Novel Recuperative Pain Medicine Service to Optimize Postoperative Analgesia and Enhance Patient Satisfaction

Brian D. Philips, RN, NP

Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York

The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City has taken a number of important steps to improve postoperative pain management practices. Responding to patient complaints about inadequate pain management during the transition from patient-controlled analgesia modalities to oral medications, the Recuperative Pain Medicine (RPM) service was created, comprising a multidisciplinary advisory committee, a medical director from the acute pain service, and a dedicated nurse practitioner to provide independent oversight. The comprehensive RPM service was charged with improving clinical care, formulating administrative policies for pain control, standardizing approaches to oral analgesic prescriptions, and proposing educational programs for patients and staff. Clinical services include but are not limited to monitoring of patients from the point of initial consult until discharge, reviews of each patient’s pain medication regimen, and a patient helpline for postdischarge questions. In addition, the RPM creates and distributes education tools for both patients and staff. The benefits of this service are apparent in increases in Press Ganey measurements of patient satisfactions and staff support of the RPM and new policies for pain management.

References

Philips BD, Liu SS, Wukovits B, et al. Creation of a Novel Recuperative Pain Medicine Service to Optimize Postoperative Analgesia and Enhance Patient Satisfaction. HSS J. 2009 Sep 17. [Epub ahead of print].
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