Management of acute pain

Acute pain is an important fear for most patients and influences their recovery and overall experience. Poorly treated, it could lead to undesirable effects and patient dissatisfaction. Hence, it is important to understand, assess and treat acute pain effectively. Pain is regarded as the fifth vital sign and should be addressed as important as other vital parameters. Management of pain involves team work, including acute pain services, especially in dealing with complex problems. Management of pain ideally starts at the pre-assessment visit or from first presentation to the clinician. It is important to anticipate and treat acute pain effectively, which may prevent the development of chronic pain syndromes. Patients should be given information about analgesic options, the risk:benefit ratio of the treatment options at the earliest opportunity and ideally have an individualized management plan.