Acute pain management: scientific evidence

Acute pain management: scientific evidence

This publication summarises the evidence currently available to assist health professionals in the management of acute pain. The field of acute pain medicine is a rapidly changing one.Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence was first published by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia in 1999. An editorial published the same year in the British Journal of Anaesthesia assessed the importance of this document along with Guidelines on the Use of NSAIDs in the Perioperative Period.It was noted that ‘there is still a need for properly conducted controlled clinical studies evaluating most areas of therapy in acute pain’ and that ‘guidelines can only remain valid for a relatively short period’ as the field of pain management is a rapidly evolving one.