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Editorial
. 2025 Jun;134(6):1603-1605.
doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2025.03.009. Epub 2025 Apr 17.

Patient experience of postoperative pain: a paradigm shift to a holistic approach

Dan Benhamou  1 , Patrice Forget  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Patient experience of postoperative pain: a paradigm shift to a holistic approach

Dan Benhamou et al. Br J Anaesth. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Postoperative pain has many unwanted consequences as it delays immediate recovery and may be a factor leading to chronification of pain. Although many studies have shown a link between acute postoperative pain and persistent pain, many other factors may play a role. Maurice-Szamburski and colleagues have shown that acute postoperative pain is not directly associated with the occurrence of chronic pain, but that the pain component of the Evaluation du Vécu de l'Anesthésie Générale (EVAN-G) questionnaire is associated with this outcome. As EVAN-G is a questionnaire that focuses on the patient experience after surgery, this is in line with the suggestion that unidimensional pain scores are not sufficient to assess the quality of recovery, and that both clinical studies and practice should move towards a more holistic approach after surgery.

Keywords: analgesic drugs; chronic postsurgical pain; comfort; pain score; patient experience; patient-reported outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest PF is a member of the associate editorial board of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. PF is supported by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), for the Pain and Opioids after Surgery (PANDOS) and the Euro-Periscope research groups (IDs: ESAIC_GR_2021_PF, ESAIC_RG_PAND, and ESAIC_RG_EP), and received advisory board or speaker fees from Grunenthal, GE Healthcare, and Oncomfort. DB declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Comment on

  • doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.08.003

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