Perioperative pain management for hip fracture patients

This article discusses delirium (its causes and how to treat it); the assessment of pain (including in the cognitively impaired); reviews the drugs commonly available to clinicians progressing through the WHO pain ladder, including opioid-sparing techniques (i.e. local anaesthetic nerve blocks). The rationale for recommending intravenous paracetamol, oral oxycodone (instead of morphine) and fascia iliaca blocks are also explored. Finally, suggested pain pathways are described.