HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Koo, P. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Koo, P. J.

PETERJ. KOO, PHARM.D., is Clinical Professor of Pharmacy, Pharmacist Specialist, Pain Management, Department of Pharmaceutical Services and Clinical Pharmacy, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Address correspondence to Dr. Koo at University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy, C-152, Box 0622, 521 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0622 (koop{at}pharmacy.ucsf.edu).

Purpose. The economics of acute post-operative pain management are discussed. Studies identifying cost drivers in post-operative pain treatment and the economic sequelae of undertreated pain are reviewed. The relative costs of intermittent intramuscular analgesia, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia, and epidural analgesia are described. Medication errors and their consequences are addressed. The importance of patient satisfaction and data on its correlation with acute post-operative pain are reviewed. Summary. Although the economics of acute post-operative pain treatment are difficult to accurately assess, studies have demonstrated that pharmacy acquisition costs represent as little as 1% of the total hospital cost of surgical treatment. Costs of analgesia are driven largely by staff time. Inadequate treatment of post-operative pain can have important economic ramifications associated with increased patient morbidity, extended hospital stays, and readmissions. Inadequate treatment of post-operative pain is also associated with reduced patient satisfaction, a measure of increasing importance to health systems and pharmacists who practice within them. Conclusion. Undertreatment of acute post-operative pain has important implications for health systems from the standpoints of economics and patient satisfaction. Index terms: Analgesics and antipyretics; Costs; Drug administration routes; Economics; Errors, medication; Hospitals; Pain; Patient-controlled analgesia; Patients; Surgery