Causes and Consequences of Inadequate Management of Acute Pain

CONTEXT: Intense acute pain afflicts millions of patients each year. Despite the recently increased focus on the importance of pain control, management of acute pain has remained suboptimal. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify through a review of recent literature the barriers to effective treatment of acute pain and the potential consequences of inadequate pain management. DESIGN: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify articles relevant to the management of acute pain. Information regarding the underlying causes of inadequate pain management, as well as the sequelae associated with undermanaged pain was extracted and summarized. RESULTS: Studies indicate that treatment of acute pain remains suboptimal due to attitudes and educational barriers on the part of both physicians and patients, as well as the intrinsic limitations of available therapies. Inadequate management of acute pain negatively impacts numerous aspects of patient health, and may increase the risk of developing chronic pain. Although opioids are the preferred treatment for most moderate to severe acute pain, their side effects can impede their use, and thus, their clinical effectiveness. Analgesic regimens with an improved efficacy/tolerability balance have the potential to improve acute pain management, and thus reduce the incidence of chronic pain. Studies examining the use of multiple analgesics with different mechanisms of action suggest that multimodal therapies may offer an improved efficacy/tolerability balance over single agent regimens. CONCLUSIONS: There exists a significant need for effective, well-tolerated analgesic therapies to limit the negative consequences of undermanaged acute pain. The use of multimodal therapy has demonstrated increasing promise and is supported by current practice guidelines.