Assessment of postoperative pain management practices in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Senegal: A multi-national survey

Abstract

Inadequately controlled postoperative pain impacts patients’ functional recovery and may affect the quality of life after surgery. Our multinational, cross-sectional study conducted online between November 2017 and January 2018 surveyed anaesthetists’ conformity with established postoperative pain control guidelines and looked at pain assessment, dissemination of information to patients, staff training and creation and use of treatment protocols. Of the 170 respondents, only six applied postoperative pain management recommendations. The proportion of respondents who reported regular staff training; the regular provision of pre-operative information to patients; the existence and use of written protocols; and the number conducting at least one pain assessment a day was not just suboptimal, but embarrassingly low.

Analgesia quality index improves the quality of postoperative pain management: a retrospective observational study of 14,747 patients between 2014 and 2021

“…In the medical field, artificial intelligence (AI) has broad application prospects in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and even in anesthesiology [ 20 – 24 ], which is expected to solve the disadvantages of traditional postoperative pain management and PCA. Artificial intelligent PCA (AI-PCA) system is an innovative analgesic system that combines traditional PCA with the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI.…”

Review of the Current Situation of Postoperative Pain and Causes of Inadequate Pain Management in Africa

“…The American Society of Anesthesiologists guidelines advise clinicians to modify postoperative pain management plans based on how effectively pain is relieved, which is assessed using a validated pain assessment tool. 48 Currently, instruments used to gauge pain severity include the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). 36,49 The VAS and NRS are unidimensional and only assess pain intensity.…”

“…63 For instance, institutions in Canada, the United States, and other nations offer for medical staff to specialize in postoperative pain management methods and techniques. 48 This gap explains why many anesthesiologists in Africa only attend one or two years of training courses, and only 48% of anesthesiologists had access to a textbook on anesthesia. 4 Furthermore, according to the residents, there was minimal official training in postoperative pain management, particularly concerning practical application.…”