Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 23;20(5):3967.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20053967.

Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Consultations on Postoperative Pain in Ambulatory Surgery

Eric Barat  1   2 , Catherine Chenailler  1 , André Gillibert  3 , Sophie Pouplin  4 , Remi Varin  5 , Vincent Compere  6
Affiliations

Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Consultations on Postoperative Pain in Ambulatory Surgery

Eric Barat et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Post-operative pain is a common symptom of ambulatory surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate a pain management protocol integrating a pharmacist consultation. We conducted a quasi-experimental, single center, before-after study. The control group was recruited between 1 March and 31 May 2018 and the intervention group between 1 March and 31 May 2019. Outpatients in the intervention group received a pharmacist consultation, in addition to the usual anesthesiologist and nurse consultations. Pharmacist consultations were conducted in two steps: the first step consisted of general open-ended questions and the second step of a specific and individualized pharmaceutical interview. A total of 125 outpatients were included in each group. There were 17% (95% CI 5 to 27%, p = 0.022) fewer patients with moderate to severe pain in the pharmaceutical intervention group compared with the control group, which corresponded to a decrease in the mean pain level of 0.9/10 (95% CI -1.5/10; -0.3/10; p = 0.002). The multivariate analysis did not reveal any confounding factors, showing that only the pharmaceutical intervention could explain this result. This study demonstrates a positive impact of pharmacist consultations on postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery.

Keywords: ambulatory surgery; city-hospital link; health care; patient pathway; pharmaceutical care; pharmaceutical interviews; post-operative pain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Care pathway in the control group and intervention group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mattila K., Toivonen J., Janhunen L., Rosenberg P.H., Hynynen M. Postdischarge symptoms after ambulatory surgery: First-week incidence, intensity, and risk factors. Anesth. Analg. 2005;101:1643–1650. doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000184189.79572.28. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aubrun F., Nouette-Gaulain K., Fletcher D., Belbachir A., Beloeil H., Carles M., Cuvillon P., Dadure C., Lebuffe G., Marret E., et al. Revision of expert panel’s guidelines on postoperative pain management. Anaesth. Crit. Care Pain. Med. 2019;38:405–411. doi: 10.1016/j.accpm.2019.02.011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. NICE Managing Acute Postoperative Pain. 2020. [(accessed on 28 January 2021)]. Available online: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng180/evidence/n2-managing-acute-postop....
    1. Perkins F.M., Kehlet H. Chronic pain as an outcome of surgery. A review of predictive factors. Anesthesiology. 2000;93:1123–1133. doi: 10.1097/00000542-200010000-00038. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Glare P., Aubrey K.R., Myles P.S. Transition from acute to chronic pain after surgery. Lancet. 2019;393:1537–1546. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30352-6. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources