Models of acute pain service

Postoperative acute pain is a syndrome, whose physiopathologic mechanisms are now well known: all of them result from surgical operations, which are invasive acts. Postoperative acute pain is semeiologically meaningless and physiologically useless; however, it is responsible for a range of nervous, hormonal and metabolic responses, which are unhealthy for patients and jeopardise their prognoses, since they entail longer hospital stays and, therefore, increased social costs. Nowadays, patients still regard this kind of pain as an inevitable part of the price to be paid for surgical treatments; moreover, medical and paramedical staff members often believe that pain is an inherent part of surgery and apply unsuitable approaches and treatments. Therefore, postoperative acute pain control units should be established in surgical departments, not only to treat such pain, but mainly to provide information, education and training.