The Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service: development and implementation of a multidisciplinary program to prevent chronic postsurgical pain

Consensus Statement for the Prescription of Pain Medication at Discharge after Elective Adult Surgery

This Consensus Statement provides recommendations on the prescription of pain medication at discharge from hospital for opioid-naïve adult patients who undergo elective surgery. It encourages health care providers (surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses/nurse practitioners, pain teams, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and trainees) to (1) use nonopioid therapies and reduce the prescription of opioids so that fewer opioid pills are available for diversion and (2) educate patients and their families/caregivers about pain management options after surgery to optimize quality of care for postoperative pain. These recommendations apply to opioid-naïve adult patients who undergo elective surgery. This consensus statement is intended for use by health care providers involved in the management and care of surgical patients. A modified Delphi process was used to reach consensus on the recommendations. First, the authors conducted a scoping review of the literature to determine current best practices and existing guidelines. From the available literature and expertise of the authors, a draft list of recommendations was created. Second, the authors asked key stakeholders to review and provide feedback on several drafts of the document and attend an in-person consensus meeting. The modified Delphi stakeholder group included surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents, fellows, nurses, pharmacists, and patients. After multiple iterations, the document was deemed complete. The recommendations are not graded because they are mostly based on consensus rather than evidence.

Evaluation of opioid discontinuation after non-orthopaedic surgery among chronic opioid users: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Many patients use opioids chronically before surgery; it is unclear if surgery alters the likelihood of ongoing opioid consumption in these patients.

METHODS

We performed a population-based matched cohort study of adults in Ontario, Canada undergoing one of 16 non-orthopaedic surgical procedures and who were chronically using opioids, defined as (1) an opioid prescription that overlapped the index date and (2) either a total of 120 or more cumulative calendar days of filled opioid prescriptions, or 10 or more prescriptions filled in the prior year. Each surgical patient was matched based on age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, and daily preoperative opioid dose to three non-surgical patients who were also chronic opioid users. The primary outcome was time to opioid discontinuation.

RESULTS

The cohort included 4755 surgical and 14 265 matched non-surgical patients. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities, surgery was associated with an increased likelihood of opioid discontinuation (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27, 1.42). Among surgical patients, factors associated with a reduced odds of discontinuation included a mean preoperative opioid dose above 90 morphine milligram equivalents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.49) or filling a prescription for oxycodone (aOR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98). Receipt of an in-patient Acute Pain Service consultation (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.69) or residing in the highest neighbourhood income quintile (aOR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.79) were associated with a greater odds of opioid discontinuation.

CONCLUSIONS

For chronic opioid users, surgery was associated with an increased likelihood of discontinuation of opioids in the following year compared with non-surgical chronic opioid users.

Postoperative opioid-prescribing patterns among surgeons and residents at university-affiliated hospitals: a survey study

Background

Overprescribing of opioids to patients following surgery is a public health concern, as unused pills may be diverted and contribute to opioid misuse and dependence. The objectives of this study were to determine current opioid-prescribing patterns for common surgical procedures, factors that affect surgeons’ prescribing behaviour and their perceived ability to manage patients with opioid use disorder.

Methods

Survey participants included all consultant and trainee surgeons at the University of Toronto. The survey, which was administered electronically, included 52 multiple-choice, rank-order and open-text questions eliciting information on current prescribing patterns, prescribing of adjunct pain medications, and education and other factors related to opioid prescribing. Staff surgeons were also asked about how they manage patients with a suspected opioid issue.

Results

Eighty surgical trainees and 40 staff surgeons responded to the survey (response rate 32%). Five staff surgeons (12%) felt adequately educated to prescribe pain medications (including opioids) at discharge. Staff surgeons prescribed Tylenol 3 more frequently than other opioids. Twenty (51%) of 39 staff surgeons reported that they sought further help for their patients when an opioid use disorder was suspected.

Conclusion

Our results support existing studies showing a large degree of variability in postoperative opioid prescribing. Institutional guidelines have been shown to be effective in curbing excessive opioid prescribing without increasing unnecessary emergency department visits for uncontrolled pain. Thus, there is an opportunity to develop institutional guidelines to educate surgical teams in the prescribing of opioids and about services available for patients with a substance use disorder.

The Brief Measure of Emotional Preoperative Stress (B-MEPS) as a new predictive tool for postoperative pain: A prospective observational cohort study

Background

Preoperative patients’ vulnerabilities such as physical, social, and psychological are implicated in postoperative pain variability. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to analyze a patient's psychological profile in the preoperative period in a practical and consistent way. Thus, we sought to identify if high preoperative emotional stress, evaluated by the Brief Measure of Emotional Preoperative Stress (B-MEPS) scale is associated with higher postoperative pain levels and poor rehabilitation in patients submitted to intermediate or major surgery. Moreover, the possible neurobiological or neurophysiological mechanisms implicated in high preoperative emotional stress, evaluated through preoperative quantitative sensory pain tests and serum biomarkers BDNF and S100B were investigated.

Methods

We conducted a prospective, observational, cohort study of ASA 2 and 3 adult patients undergoing major urologic, gynecologic, proctologic and orthopedic surgeries from March 2017 to March 2018. B-MEPS and Central Sensitivity Inventory were evaluated preoperatively, followed by a sequence of experimental pain tests and serum biomarkers collection. Postoperative evaluation carried out within the first 48 hours after surgery comprehended pain at rest and movement-evoked pain, and the consumption of morphine. Quality-of-Recovery was also evaluated in the 3rd postoperative day.

Results

23 (15%) out of 150 patients included in the study presented high emotional preoperative stress. Variables significantly related to preoperative stress were: previous psychiatric diagnosis and Central Sensitization Inventory result. Mean movement-evoked pain in the first 12 to 48 hours was 95–105% higher than pain at rest. A mixed model for repeated measures showed a sustainable effect of B-MEPS as a movement-evoked pain predictor. Previous pain, cancer surgery, and preoperative pressure pain tolerance were also independent predictors of postoperative pain. Moderate to severe postoperative movement-evoked pain was predictive of poor rehabilitation in 48 hours after surgery.

Conclusion

We confirmed that a brief screening method of preoperative emotional states could detect individuals prone to experience severe postoperative pain. Specific interventions considering the stress level may be planned in the future to improve perioperative outcomes.

Barriers and Solutions for Improving Pain Management Practices in Acute Hospital Settings: Perspectives of Healthcare Practitioners for a Pain-Free Hospital Initiative

Background

Effective pain management is a fundamental human right. However, global disparities in pain management practices exist across health settings. This study explored healthcare practitioners’ views on pain management in the acute care hospital setting.

Methods

The focus groups included clinical specialties most likely to encounter patients with ‘difficult to manage pain’, namely those in the Geriatrics and Palliative Care Unit (2 doctors and 3 nurses), Critical Care Unit (7 doctors), and the Pain Management Team (3 doctors and 2 nurses). The transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis.

Results

The data analysis revealed four themes. Theme 1, ‘Being too safe’ described the presence of apprehensive attitudes among patients and healthcare practitioners that limits the appropriate use of diverse and tailored pain medications in acute care hospital settings. Theme 2, ‘Working as a team’ described the need for collaborative approaches to achieve hospital-wide evidence-based pain management. Theme 3, ‘Adaptation for local and cultural preferences’ explored how pain was perceived through cultural lenses and suggested strategies to tailor pain management to local and cultural preferences. Finally, Theme 4, ‘Driving acute pain management forward’ listed clinician solutions for improving pain management in acute care hospital settings toward a pain-free hospital initiative.

Conclusion

Despite advances in pain medicine and pain teaching strategies, effective pain management is proportionate to both clinical and cultural preferences. Future studies should investigate the standardization of global pain management tools and guidelines to fit the local culture and context.

Pain therapy to reduce perioperative complications

The incidence rates of adverse events secondary to any operation are a well-known problem in any surgical field. One outstanding example of such adverse events is postoperative pain. Thus, the incidence of acute postoperative pain following any surgical procedure and its treatment are central issues for every surgeon. In the times of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, acute pain therapy became an increasingly well investigated and accepted aspect in almost all surgical subspecialties. However, if it comes to the reduction of postoperative complications, in the actual context of postoperative pain, surgeons tend to focus on the operative process rather than on the perioperative procedures. Undoubtedly, postoperative pain became an important factor with regard to the quality of surgical care: both, the extent and the quality of the surgical procedure and the extent and the quality of the analgesic technique are decisive issues for a successful pain management. There is growing evidence that supports the role of acute pain therapy in reducing postoperative morbidity, and it has been demonstrated that high pain scores postoperatively may contribute to a complicated postoperative course. This overview comprises the current knowledge on the role of acute pain therapy with regard to the occurrence of postoperative complications. Most of the knowledge is derived from studies that primarily focus on the type and quality of postoperative pain therapy in relation to specific surgical procedures and only secondary on complications. As far as existent, data that report on the recovery period after surgery, on the rehabilitation status, on perioperative morbidity, on the development of chronic pain after surgery, and on possible solutions of the latter problem with the institution of transitional pain services will be presented.

Pediatric Chronic Postsurgical Pain And Functional Disability: A Prospective Study Of Risk Factors Up To One Year After Major Surgery

BACKGROUND

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a surgical complication associated with increased functional disability, psychological distress, and economic costs. The aims of this paper were to prospectively: (1) examine the incidence of CPSP 6 and 12 months after pediatric major surgery; (2) identify pain intensity and pain unpleasantness trajectories before, and up to 12 months after, surgery; (3) identify pre-operative factors that predict pain trajectory group membership; and (4) identify predictors of 12-month functional disability.

METHODS

This study followed 265 children aged 8-17 years at four time points (pre-surgical [T0], in-hospital [T1], 6 [T2] and 12 [T3] months after surgery). Children and parents completed pain and psychological questionnaires. In-hospital physical activity was monitored using actigraphy.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The incidence of moderate-to-severe CPSP at 6 and 12 months was 35% (95% CI 29.1% to 41.9%) and 38% (95% CI 32.4% to 45.1%), respectively. Three percent (95% CI 1.17% to 6.23%) and 4% (95% CI 1.45% to 6.55%) of children reported using opioids to manage pain at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Growth mixture modeling revealed a two-class trajectory model with a quadratic slope best fit the data for both pain intensity (Bayesian information criterion [BIC] = 3977.03) and pain unpleasantness (BIC = 3644.45) over the 12 months. Preoperative functional disability and cumulative in-hospital opioid consumption predicted pain intensity trajectories. Preoperative functional disability predicted pain unpleasantness trajectories. Preoperative functional disability (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.09) and pain unpleasantness trajectories (OR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.05 to 6.37) predicted 12-month moderate-to-severe functional disability.

CONCLUSION

Pre-surgical functional disability is the only factor that predicts both 12-month functional disability and the course of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness ratings over the 12-month period.

Smoking, Pain Intensity, and Opioid Consumption 1-3 Months After Major Surgery: A Retrospective Study in a Hospital-Based Transitional Pain Service

Introduction

The present study investigated the associations between smoking, pain, and opioid consumption in the 3 months after major surgery in patients seen by the Transitional Pain Service. Current smoking status and lifetime pack-years were expected to be related to higher pain intensity, more opioid use, and poorer opioid weaning after surgery.

Methods

A total of 239 patients reported smoking status in their presurgical assessment (62 smokers, 92 past smokers, and 85 never smokers). Pain and daily opioid use were assessed in hospital before postsurgical discharge, at first outpatient visit (median of 1 month postsurgery), and at last outpatient visit (median of 3 months postsurgery). Pain was measured using numeric rating scale. Morphine equivalent daily opioid doses were calculated for each patient.

Results

Current smokers reported significantly higher pain intensity (p < .05) at 1 month postsurgery than never smokers and past smokers. Decline in opioid consumption differed significantly by smoking status, with both current and past smokers reporting a less than expected decline in daily opioid consumption (p < .05) at 3 months. Decline in opioid consumption was also related to pack-years, with those reporting higher pack-years having a less than expected decline in daily opioid consumption at 3 months (p < .05).

Conclusions

Smoking status may be an important modifiable risk factor for pain intensity and opioid use after surgery.

Implications

In a population with complex postsurgical pain, smoking was associated with greater pain intensity at 1 month after major surgery and less opioid weaning 3 months after surgery. Smoking may be an important modifiable risk factor for pain intensity and opioid use after surgery.

Optimizing opioid prescribing and pain treatment for surgery: Review and conceptual framework

Purpose

Millions of Americans who undergo surgical procedures receive opioid prescriptions as they return home. While some derive great benefit from these medicines, others experience adverse events, convert to chronic opioid use, or have unused medicines that serve as a reservoir for potential nonmedical use. Our aim was to investigate concepts and methods relevant to optimal opioid prescribing and pain treatment in the perioperative period.

Methods

We reviewed existing literature for trials on factors that influence opioid prescribing and optimization of pain treatment for surgical procedures and generated a conceptual framework to guide future quality, safety, and research efforts.

Results

Opioid prescribing and pain treatment after discharge from surgery broadly consist of 3 key interacting perspectives, including those of the patient, the perioperative team, and, serving in an essential role for all patients, the pharmacist. Systems-based factors, ranging from the organizational environment’s ability to provide multimodal analgesia and participation in enhanced recovery after surgery programs to other healthcare system and macro-level trends, shape these interactions and influence opioid-related safety outcomes.

Conclusions

The severity and persistence of the opioid crisis underscore the urgent need for interventions to improve postoperative prescription opioid use in the United States. Such interventions are likely to be most effective, with the fewest unintended consequences, if based on sound evidence and built on multidisciplinary efforts that include pharmacists, nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and the patient. Future studies have the potential to identify the optimal amount to prescribe, improve patient-focused safety and quality outcomes, and help curb the oversupply of opioids that contributes to the most pressing public health crisis of our time.

Safety in Acute Pain Medicine-Pharmacologic Considerations and the Impact of Systems-Based Gaps

Objective

In the setting of an expanding prevalence of acute pain medicine services and the aggressive use of multimodal analgesia, an overview of systems-based safety gaps and safety concerns in the setting of aggressive multimodal analgesia is provided below.

Setting

Expert commentary.

Methods

Recent evidence focused on systems-based gaps in acute pain medicine is discussed. A focused literature review was conducted to assess safety concerns related to commonly used multimodal pharmacologic agents (opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentanoids, ketamine, acetaminophen) in the setting of inpatient acute pain management.

Conclusions

Optimization of systems-based gaps will increase the probability of accurate pain assessment, improve the application of uniform evidence-based multimodal analgesia, and ensure a continuum of pain care. While acute pain medicine strategies should be aggressively applied, multimodal regimens must be strategically utilized to minimize risk to patients and in a comorbidity-specific fashion.

American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Quality Initiative Joint Consensus Statement on Perioperative Opioid Minimization in Opioid-Naïve Patients

Surgical care episodes place opioid-naïve patients at risk for transitioning to new persistent postoperative opioid use. With one of the central principles being the application of multimodal pain interventions to reduce the reliance on opioid-based medications, enhanced recovery pathways provide a framework that decreases perioperative opioid use. The fourth Perioperative Quality Initiative brought together a group of international experts representing anesthesiology, surgery, and nursing with the objective of providing consensus recommendations on this important topic. Fourth Perioperative Quality Initiative was a consensus-building conference designed around a modified Delphi process in which the group alternately convened for plenary discussion sessions in between small group discussions. The process included several iterative steps including a literature review of the topics, building consensus around the important questions related to the topic, and sequential steps of content building and refinement until agreement was achieved and a consensus document was produced. During the fourth Perioperative Quality Initiative conference and thereafter as a writing group, reference applicability to the topic was discussed in any area where there was disagreement. For this manuscript, the questions answered included (1) What are the potential strategies for preventing persistent postoperative opioid use? (2) Is opioid-free anesthesia and analgesia feasible and appropriate for routine operations? and (3) Is opioid-free (intraoperative) anesthesia associated with equivalent or superior outcomes compared to an opioid minimization in the perioperative period? We will discuss the relevant literature for each questions, emphasize what we do not know, and prioritize the areas for future research.

Perioperative Pain and Addiction Interdisciplinary Network (PAIN) clinical practice advisory for perioperative management of buprenorphine: results of a modified Delphi process

Until recently, the belief that adequate pain management was not achievable while patients remained on buprenorphine was the impetus for the perioperative discontinuation of buprenorphine. We aimed to use an expert consensus Delphi-based survey technique to 1) specify the need for perioperative guidelines in this context and 2) offer a set of recommendations for the perioperative management of these patients. The major recommendation of this practice advisory is to continue buprenorphine therapy in the perioperative period. It is rarely appropriate to reduce the buprenorphine dose irrespective of indication or formulation. If analgesia is inadequate after optimisation of adjunct analgesic therapies, we recommend initiating a full mu agonist while continuing buprenorphine at some dose. The panel believes that before operation, physicians must distinguish between buprenorphine use for chronic pain (weaning/conversion from long-term high-dose opioids) and opioid use disorder (OUD) as the primary indication for buprenorphine therapy. Patients should ideally be discharged on buprenorphine, although not necessarily at their preoperative dose. Depending on analgesic requirements, they may be discharged on a full mu agonist. Overall, long-term buprenorphine treatment retention and harm reduction must be considered during the perioperative period when OUD is a primary diagnosis. The authors recognise that inter-patient variability will require some individualisation of clinical practice advisories. Clinical practice advisories are largely based on lower classes of evidence (level 4, level 5). Further research is required in order to implement meaningful changes in practitioner behaviour for this patient group.

Cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce persistent postsurgical pain following internal fixation of extremity fractures (COPE): Rationale for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Approximately half of all patients who undergo surgical repair of extremity fractures report persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) at 1-year post-surgery. Psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, catastrophization, poor coping, high somatic complaints, and pessimism about recovery are risk factors for the development of PPSP. It is possible that interventions such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that target psychological factors may reduce the incidence of PPSP in this population.

Aims: The current report reviews the role of psychological factors in the development of PPSP and discusses the rationale and protocol development for a multi-site randomized-controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of CBT in reducing PPSP in patients with surgically treated extremity fractures.

The need for novel strategies to address postoperative pain associated with cardiac surgery: A commentary and introduction to "SMArTVIEW"

Background: With coronary heart disease affecting over 2.4 million Canadians, annual cardiac and major vascular surgery rates are on the rise. Unrelieved postoperative pain is among the top five causes of hospital readmission following surgery; little is done to address this postoperative complication. Barriers to effective pain assessment and management following cardiac and major vascular surgery have been conceptualized on patient, health care provider, and system levels. Purpose: In this commentary, we review common patient, health care provider, and system-level barriers to effective postoperative pain assessment and management following cardiac and major vascular surgery. We then outline the SMArTVIEW intervention, with particular attention to components designed to optimize postoperative pain assessment and management. Methods: In conceptualizing the SMArTVIEW intervention design, we sought to address a number of these barriers by meeting the following design objectives: (1) orchestrating a structured process for regular postoperative pain assessment and management; (2) ensuring adequate clinician preparation for postoperative pain assessment and management in the context of virtual care; and (3) enfranchising patients to become active self-managers and to work with their health care providers to manage their pain postoperatively. Conclusions: Innovative approaches to address these barriers are a current challenge to health care providers and researchers alike. SMArTVIEW is spearheading this paradigm shift within clinical research to address barriers that impair effective postoperative pain management by actively engaging health care providers and patients in an accessible format (i.e., digital health solution) to give primacy to the need of postoperative pain assessment and management following cardiac and major vascular surgery.

Chronic postsurgical pain: From risk factor identification to multidisciplinary management at the Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service

Background: Chronic postsurgical pain is a highly prevalent public health problem associated with substantial emotional, social, and economic costs. Aims: (1) To review the major risk factors for chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP); (2) to describe the implementation of the Transitional Pain Service (TPS) at the Toronto General Hospital, a multiprofessional, multimodal preventive approach to CPSP involving intensive, perioperative psychological, physical, and pharmacological management aimed at preventing and treating the factors that increase the risk of CPSP and related disability; and (3) to present recent empirical evidence for the efficacy of the TPS. Methods: The Toronto General Hospital TPS was specifically developed to target patients at high risk of developing CPSP. The major known risk factors for CPSP are perioperative pain, opioid use, and negative affect, including depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and posttraumatic stress disorder-like symptoms. At-risk patients are identified early and provided comprehensive care by a multidisciplinary team consisting of pain physicians, advanced practice nurses, psychologists, and physical therapists. Results: Preliminary results from two nonrandomized, clinical practice-based trials indicate that TPS treatment is associated with improvements in pain, pain interference, pain catastrophizing, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and opioid use. Almost half of opioid-naïve patients and one in four opioid-experienced patients were opioid free by the 6-month point. Conclusions: These promising results suggest that the TPS benefits patients at risk of CPSP. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of the TPS in several Ontario hospitals is currently underway.

Evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of a multi-component intervention to reduce post-surgical opioid prescribing: study protocol of a mixed-methods design

INTRODUCTION

Opioids prescribed after surgery accounted for 5% of the 191 million opioid prescriptions filled in 2017. Approximately 80% of the opioid pills prescribed by surgical care providers remain unused, leaving a substantial number of opioids available for non-medical use. We developed a multi-component intervention to address surgical providers' role in the overprescribing of opioids. Our study will determine effective strategies for reducing post-surgical prescribing while ensuring adequate post-surgery patient-reported pain-related outcomes, and will assess implementation of the strategies.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Minimising Opioid Prescribing in Surgery study will implement a multi-component intervention, in an Illinois network of six hospitals (one academical, two large community and three small community hospitals), to decrease opioid analgesics prescribed after surgery. The multi-component intervention involves four domains: (1) patient expectation setting, (2) baseline assessment of opioid use, (3) perioperative pain control optimisation and (4) post-surgical opioid minimisation. Four surgical specialities (general, orthopaedics, urology and gynaecology) at the six hospitals will implement the intervention. A mixed-methods approach will be used to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the intervention. Data from the network's enterprise data warehouse will be used to evaluate the intervention's effect on post-surgical prescriptions and a survey will collect pain-related patient-reported outcomes. Intervention effectiveness will be determined using a triangulation design, mixed-methods approach with staggered speciality-specific implementation for contemporaneous control of opioid prescribing changes over time. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research will be used to evaluate the site-specific contextual factors and adaptations to achieve implementation at each site.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study aims to identify the most effective hospital-type and speciality-specific intervention bundles for rapid dissemination into our 56-hospital learning collaborative and in hospitals throughout the USA. All study activities have been approved by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board (ID STU00205053).

The prescription opioid crisis: role of the anaesthesiologist in reducing opioid use and misuse

Reports of strategies to prevent and treat the opioid epidemic are growing. Significant attention has been paid to the benefits of opioid addiction research, clinical prescribing, and public policy initiatives in curbing the epidemic. However, the role of the anaesthesiologist in minimising opioid use and misuse remains underexplored. For many patients with an opioid use disorder, the perioperative period represents the source of initial exposure. As perioperative physicians, anaesthesiologists are in the unique position to manage pain effectively while simultaneously decreasing opioid consumption. Multiple opportunities exist for anaesthesiologists to minimise opioid exposure and prevent subsequent persistent opioid use. We present a global strategy for decreasing perioperative opioid use and misuse among surgical patients. A historical perspective of the opioid epidemic is presented, together with an analysis of opioid supply and demand forces. We then present specific temporal strategies for opioid use reduction in the perioperative period. We emphasise the importance of preoperative identification of patients at risk for long-term opioid use and misuse, review the evidence supporting the opioid sparing capacity of individual multimodal analgesic agents, and discuss the benefits of regional anaesthesia for minimising opioid consumption. We describe postoperative and post-discharge tools, including effective multimodal analgesia and the role of a transitional pain service. Finally, we offer general institutional strategies that can be led by anaesthesiologists, identify gaps in knowledge, and offer directions for future research.

Addressing the Opioid Crisis One Surgical Patient at a Time: Outcomes of a Novel Perioperative Pain Program

Opioid prescriptions in the surgical setting have been implicated as contributors to the opioid epidemic. The authors hypothesized that a multidisciplinary approach to perioperative pain management for patients on chronic opioid therapy could decrease postoperative opioid requirements while reducing postoperative pain scores and improving functional outcomes. Therefore, a Perioperative Pain Program (PPP) for chronic opioid users was implemented. This study presents outcomes from the first 9 months of the PPP. Sixty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. Opioid consumption in morphine milligram equivalent (MME) was calculated and physical and health status of patients was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Short Form-12. Preliminary results showed significant reduction in MME, improved pain scores, and improved function for surgical patients on chronic opioids. PPP effectively reduced opioid usage without negatively influencing patient-reported outcomes, such as physical pain score assessment and health-related quality of life.

Chronic pain patient and anaesthesia

Severe chronic pain is often devastating for the affected individuals causing substantial suffering, health impairment, and a very low quality of life, including significant negative consequences for the patient and for society. Patients with complex pain disorders are seen often in relation to anaesthesia. They deserve special attention and require long time hospitalization and multiple contacts with health-care providers after discharge from hospital. A wider adoption of best perioperative and intraoperative pain management practice is required. This paper reviews current knowledge of perioperative and intraoperative pain management and anaesthetic care of the chronic pain patient. The individual topics covered include the magnitude of the problem created by chronic pain, the management of the patients taking various types of opioids, tolerance and opioid induced hyperalgesia and the multidisciplinary approach to pain management. The preventive and preemptive strategies for reducing the opioid needs and chronic pain after surgery are reviewed. The last section includes the role of acute pain services and an example of the implementation of a transitional pain service with the various benefits it offers; for example, the decrease of the opioid dose after discharge from the hospital. Patients also receive the continuity of care, with not only pain relief but also improvements in physical functioning, quality of life and emotional stress.

Transition from acute to chronic pain after surgery

Over the past decade there has been an increasing reliance on strong opioids to treat acute and chronic pain, which has been associated with a rising epidemic of prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose-related deaths. Deaths from prescription opioids have more than quadrupled in the USA since 1999, and this pattern is now occurring globally. Inappropriate opioid prescribing after surgery, particularly after discharge, is a major cause of this problem. Chronic postsurgical pain, occurring in approximately 10% of patients who have surgery, typically begins as acute postoperative pain that is difficult to control, but soon transitions into a persistent pain condition with neuropathic features that are unresponsive to opioids. Research into how and why this transition occurs has led to a stronger appreciation of opioid-induced hyperalgesia, use of more effective and safer opioid-sparing analgesic regimens, and non-pharmacological interventions for pain management. This Series provides an overview of the epidemiology and societal effect, basic science, and current recommendations for managing persistent postsurgical pain. We discuss the advances in the prevention of this transitional pain state, with the aim to promote safer analgesic regimens to better manage patients with acute and chronic pain.

Inappropriate opioid prescription after surgery

Worldwide, the use of prescription opioid analgesics more than doubled between 2001 and 2013, with several countries, including the USA, Canada, and Australia, experiencing epidemics of opioid misuse and abuse over this period. In this context, excessive prescribing of opioids for pain treatment after surgery has been recognised as an important concern for public health and a potential contributor to patterns of opioid misuse and related harm. In the second paper in this Series we review the evolution of prescription opioid use for pain treatment after surgery in the USA, Canada, and other countries. We summarise evidence on the extent of opioid overprescribing after surgery and its potential association with subsequent opioid misuse, diversion, and the development of opioid use disorder. We discuss evidence on patient, physician, and system-level predictors of excessive prescribing after surgery, and summarise recent work on clinical and policy efforts to reduce such prescribing while ensuring adequate pain control.

Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Postsurgical Pain: A Narrative Review

Chronic postsurgical pain affects between 5 and 75% of patients, often with an adverse impact on quality of life. While the transition of acute to chronic pain is a complex process-involving multiple mechanisms at different levels-the current strategies for prevention have primarily been restricted to perioperative pharmacological interventions. In the present paper, we first present an up-to-date narrative literature review of these interventions. In the second section, we develop several ways by which we could overcome the limitations of the current approaches and enhance the outcome of our surgical patients, including the better identification of individual risk factors, tailoring treatment to individual patients, and improved acute and subacute pain evaluation and management. The third and final section covers the treatment of established CPSP. Given that evidence for the current therapeutic options is limited, we need high-quality trials studying multimodal interventions matched to pain characteristics.

Update and future perspective of behavioral medicine in the treatment for chronic pain

Chronic pain is a biopsychosocial condition, and behavioral medicine has made significant contributions to the understanding of the phenomenon and optimization of therapeutic outcomes. The objective of this article is to provide future perspectives of behavioral medicine in pain management based upon recent development in the field. We will briefly review the mainstream approach of cognitive-behavioral therapy, its variations and new and innovative approaches that are on the horizon. We also review strategies that address potential barriers to pain management. Behavioral medicine is a promising field in pain medicine. The future growth is likely to come from addressing how we incorporate the patient heterogeneity into our treatment approaches and a better understanding of its role in a multimodal treatment.

Preoperative Patient Expectations of Postoperative Pain Are Associated with Moderate to Severe Acute Pain After VATS

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this post hoc analysis of subjects from a prospective observational study was to identify the predictors of patients developing moderate to severe acute pain (mean numerical rating scale [NRS] ≥4, 0-10) during the first three days after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) from a comprehensive evaluation of demographic, psychosocial, and surgical factors.

METHODS

Results from 82 patients who were enrolled one week before VATS and evaluated during the first three postoperative days are presented. The primary outcome variable of the current study was the presence of moderate to severe acute pain after VATS.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine percent (95% confidence interval, 47-69%) of study subjects developed moderate to severe acute pain after VATS. Factors univariately associated with the presence of moderate to severe acute pain were greater average expected postoperative pain, greater pain to a suprathreshold cold stimulus, and longer durations of surgery and hospital stay (P < 0.05). When considered in the multiple logistic regression models, the patients' preoperative average intensity of expected postoperative pain (NRS, 0-10) was the only measure associated with the moderate to severe acute pain. Average intensity of postoperative pain expected by patients when questioned preoperatively mediated the effect of reported intensity of pain to the suprathreshold cold stimulus for moderate to severe acute pain levels. Preoperative patient expectations had greater predictive value than other assessed variables including psychosocial factors such as catastrophizing or anxiety assessed one week before surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

None of the preoperative psychosocial measures were associated with the moderate to severe acute pain after VATS. Average expected postoperative pain was the only measure associated with the development of moderate to severe acute pain after VATS.

Improving the Workflow Efficiency of An Outpatient Pain Clinic at A Specialized Oncology Center by Implementing Lean Principles

Objective

Adult outpatient oncology pain clinics face many challenges due to the increased number of patients, the restriction of electronic appointment systems, overcrowding, waiting time, and patient dissatisfaction. This project aimed to improve clinic time efficiency, decrease clinic waiting time, and improve patient satisfaction.

Methods

Lean thinking concepts and their tools, for example, value-stream mapping and value added (VA)/non-VA (NVA) analysis were used. Electronic appointment system slots were stratified based on patient visit type. A total of 187 patients were included in a time-motion survey at three different occasions: preintervention (n = 67) and two consecutive quarter postintervention time points (n = 64, n = 56). Simultaneously, patient satisfaction was reported quarterly by a quality management office.

Results

The pain clinic workflow became more efficient; the mean clinic waiting time decreased from 72.5 min at preintervention to 19.5 and 21 min at the two postintervention quarters, respectively. Moreover, patient satisfaction improved from 75% at the preintervention to 100% and 96.7% at the two postintervention quarters.

Conclusions

Redesigning the process of an electronic appointment system using lean thinking considerably decreases patients' waiting time, improves patient satisfaction, improves resource utilization, allows proper scheduling based on patient visit types, eliminates unnecessary waste processes, and reallocates health-care providers' time toward direct, individualized patient care.

Cancer pain: where are we now?

Increasing numbers of those living with and beyond cancer presents a clinical challenge for pain specialists. A large proportion of these patients experience pain secondary to their disease or its treatment, impeding rehabilitation and significantly impacting upon their quality of life. The successful management of this pain presents a considerable challenge. This review aims to outline current concepts and treatment options, while considering nuances within pain assessment and the use of large-scale data to help guide further advances.

Nurses' Perception of a Tailored Web-Based Intervention for the Self-Management of Pain After Cardiac Surgery

Background

Cardiac surgeries rank among the most frequent surgical procedures and present a risk of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). A continuum approach is required to prevent the development of CPSP. As a first step, a tailored web-based intervention was developed and successfully tested to tackle pain management during hospitalization. Before proceeding to further development, preliminary acceptability of the intervention including the postdischarge phase must be evaluated.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine nurses’ perception of a tailored Web-based intervention for pain management in the early recovery phase. The objectives were to evaluate intervention’s acceptability and to identify ways to enhance its acceptability.

Methods

A parallel mixed methods approach was used to assess the acceptability of the intervention in the early recovery phase (first month after surgery).

Results

In total, 249 participants completed the online survey and 10 participants were individually interviewed. Overall, the intervention was rated as acceptable. No difference was found in acceptability ratings by demographics. The intervention was rated as appropriate to very much appropriate by 79% of participants. Although nurses seemingly would recommend it to their patients, they did not perceive that their patients would be as highly willing to use it. Interviews highlighted several strengths of the intervention, such as postoperative pain awareness, customization of content, and flexible dosage and schedule. However, the main weakness was related to patient adherence. Opting for a hybrid format and integrating individual preferences could enhance the coaching experience.

Conclusion

The innovative intervention was judged as acceptable for pain management in the early recovery phase. Considering that the intervention has demonstrated positive effects on the pain experience in the first week after cardiac surgery, it seems logical to explore its potential impact after discharge on the transition to CPSP.

In-hospital opioid consumption, but not pain intensity scores, predicts 6-month levels of pain catastrophizing following hepatic resection: A trajectory analysis

BACKGROUND

The study aims were to model acute pain intensity and opioid consumption trajectories up to 72 hr after open hepatic resection, identify predictors of trajectory membership and examine the association between trajectory memberships and 6-month pain and psychological outcomes. This is a long-term analysis of a published randomized controlled trial on the impact of medial open transversus abdominis plane catheters on post-operative outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 152 patients (89 males; mean age 63.0 [range: 54-72]) completed questionnaires on pain and related characteristics pre-operatively and 6 months post-operatively. Total opioid use was recorded several times over a 72-hr period while self-reported pain intensity scores were collected multiple times until hospital discharge. Analyses were carried out using growth mixture modelling, logistic regression and general linear models.

RESULTS

Both pain intensity and opioid consumption showed that a four-trajectory model best fits the data. Patients in the lowest opioid consumption trajectory were more likely to be classified in the constant mild pain intensity trajectory. Age and baseline levels of anxiety significantly predicted opioid trajectory membership while baseline depressive symptoms significantly predicted pain intensity trajectory membership. Patients in the two highest opioid consumption trajectories reported significantly higher levels of pain catastrophizing at 6 months compared to patients in the other 3 trajectories (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

High consumption of opioids after surgery is associated with higher levels of pain catastrophizing 6 months later. Identification of patients within these trajectories may lead to the development of early interventions targeted to high risk individuals.

SIGNIFICANCE

Differences in initial levels of opioid consumption and rates of change in opioid consumption shortly after surgery can help predict long-term psychological responses to pain. Identifying key characteristics associated with initial opioid consumption can lead to the development of cost-effective early interventions targeted to high risk individuals.

Can pain catastrophizing be changed in surgical patients? A scoping review

Background

Catastrophizing, a coping style characterized by an exaggerated negative affect when experiencing or anticipating pain, is an important factor that adversely affects surgical outcomes. Various interventions have been attempted with the goal of reducing catastrophizing and, by extension, improving treatment outcomes. We performed a systematic review to determine whether catastrophizing can be altered in surgical patients and to present evidence for interventions aimed at reducing catastrophizing in this population.

Methods

Using a scoping design, we performed a systematic search of MEDLINE and Embase. Studies reporting original research measuring catastrophizing, before and after an intervention, on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) or Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) were selected. Studies were assessed for quality, the nature of the intervention and the magnitude of the effect observed.

Results

We identified 47 studies that measured the change in catastrophizing score following a broad range of interventions in surgical patients, including surgery, patient education, physiotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, psychologist-directed therapy, nursing-directed therapy and pharmacological treatments. The mean change in catastrophizing score as assessed with the PCS ranged from 0 to –19, and that with the CSQ, from +0.07 to –13. Clinically important changes in catastrophizing were observed in 7 studies (15%).

Conclusion

Catastrophizing was observed to be modifiable with an intervention in a variety of surgical patient populations. Some interventions produced greater reductions than others, which will help direct future research in the improvement of surgical outcomes.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Prevention of Chronic Postsurgical Pain and Opioid Use in At-Risk Veterans: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

High levels of pain, significant anxiety, or depressive symptoms before surgery put patients at elevated risk for chronic pain and prolonged opioid use following surgery. The purpose of this preliminary study was to assess the efficacy of a 1-day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop in "at-risk" veterans for the prevention of chronic pain and opioid use following orthopedic surgery. In a randomized controlled trial, 88 at-risk veterans undergoing orthopedic surgery were assigned to treatment as usual (TAU; n = 44) or TAU plus a 1-day ACT workshop (n = 44). Pain levels and opioid use were assessed up to 3 months following surgery. Pain acceptance and values-based behavior were assessed at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Participants who completed the ACT workshop reached pain and opioid cessation sooner than those in TAU. Postoperative complications exhibited a moderating effect on these outcomes, such that the effects of ACT were greater in patients without complications. Increases in pain acceptance and values-based behavior, processes targeted in ACT, were related to better outcomes. These promising results merit further investigation in a larger clinical trial. Providing an intervention before surgery for at-risk veterans has the potential to change clinical practice from a focus on management of postoperative pain to prevention of chronic pain in at-risk individuals.

PERSPECTIVE

This pilot study compared the effects of a 1-day preventive behavioral intervention (ACT) to TAU in at-risk veterans undergoing orthopedic surgery. Three months following the intervention, veterans receiving ACT exhibited quicker cessation of pain and opioid use. Focusing on preoperative pain management may help prevent chronic postsurgical pain.

A population-based study of treated mental health and persistent pain conditions after transport injury

BACKGROUND

Persistent pain and mental health conditions often co-occur after injury, cause enormous disability, reduce social and economic participation, and increase long-term healthcare costs. This study aimed to characterise the incidence, profile and healthcare cost implications for people who have a treated mental health condition, persistent pain, or both conditions, after compensable transport injury.

METHODS

The study comprised a population cohort of people who sustained a transport injury (n = 74,217) between 2008 to 2013 and had an accepted claim in the no-fault transport compensation system in Victoria, Australia. Data included demographic and injury characteristics, and payments for treatment and income replacement from the Compensation Research Database. Treated conditions were identified from 3 to 24-months postinjury using payment-based criteria developed with clinical and compensation system experts. Criteria included medications for pain, anxiety, depression or psychosis, and services from physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and pain specialists. The data were analysed with Cox Proportional Hazards regression to examine rates of treated conditions, and general linear regression to estimate 24 month healthcare costs.

RESULTS

Overall, the incidence of treated mental health conditions (n = 2459, 3.3%) and persistent pain (n = 4708, 6.3%) was low, but rates were higher in those who were female, middle aged (35-64 years), living in metropolitan areas or neighbourhoods with high socioeconomic disadvantage, and for people who had a more severe injury. Healthcare costs totalled more than $A707 M, and people with one or both conditions (7.7%) had healthcare costs up to 7-fold higher (adjusting for demographic and injury characteristics) in the first 24 months postinjury than those with neither condition.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of treated mental health and persistent pain conditions was low, but the total healthcare costs for people with treated conditions were markedly higher than for people without either treated condition. While linkage with other public records of treatment was not possible, the true incidence of treated conditions is likely to be even higher than that found in this study. The present findings can be used to prioritise the implementation of timely access to treatment to prevent or attenuate the severity of pain and mental health conditions after transport injury.

Opioid weaning and pain management in postsurgical patients at the Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service

BACKGROUND

The perioperative period provides a critical window to address opioid use, particularly in patients with a history of chronic pain and presurgical opioid use. The Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service (TPS) was developed to address the issues of pain and opioid use after surgery.

AIMS

To provide program evaluation results from the TPS at the Toronto General Hospital highlighting opioid weaning rates and pain management of opioid-naïve and opioid-experienced surgical patients.

METHODS

Two hundred fifty-one high-risk TPS patients were dichotomized preoperatively as opioid naïve or opioid experienced. Outcomes included pain, opioid consumption, weaning rates, and psychosocial/medical comorbidities.

RESULTS

Six months postoperatively, pain and function were significantly improved. Opioid-naïve and opioid-experienced patients reduced consumption by 69% and 44%, respectively. Forty-six percent and 26% weaned completely. Consumption at hospital discharge predicted weaning in opioid-naïve patients. Pain catastrophizing, neuropathy, and recreational drug use predicted weaning in opioid-experienced patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The TPS enabled almost half of opioid-naïve patients and one in four opioid-experienced patients to wean. The TPS successfully targets perioperative opioid use in complex pain patients.