Publications

Draft of Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence (3rd edition) available for comment from August 10th 2009

In 2005, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) published the second edition of Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence. As it is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) requirement that such documents should be revised as further evidence accumulates, and as there has been has been a continuing and large increase in the quantity and quality of information available about acute pain management, it was seen as timely to reassess the available evidence. ANZCA and the FPM therefore again took responsibility for revising and updating the document – this third edition.

As before, a working party was convened to coordinate and oversee the development process and a number of Fellows have again been involved either as contributors or members of a multidisciplinary review panel.

The aim of the document is, as with the first two editions, to combine a review of the best available evidence for acute pain management with current clinical and expert practice, rather than to formulate specific clinical practice recommendations. Accordingly, the document aims to summarise the substantial amount of evidence currently available for the management of acute pain in a concise and easily readable form to assist the practising clinician. New and updated content has been incorporated with the content of the second edition.

A draft of this revision (the 3^rd edition) will be available for public consultation at www.acutepain.org.au for a period of one month beginning August 10^th 2009. Comments from all Fellows would be most welcome. Following this and on the basis of comments received, another draft will be prepared for presentation to the NHMRC in December 2009. We hope to publish early in 2010.

Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence (Second Edition 2005)

Download Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence (Second Edition 2005) ( 3.7 MB)

To purchase a hard copy of Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence (Second Edition 2005), please complete and return the Order Form ( 187 kB).

The ANZCA working party responsible for the development of the publication Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence will meet once or twice a year to consider the need to update certain topics where new evidence has become available since publication of the document and this evidence is considered by the working party to be worthy of inclusion.

These updates will not have been subjected to the NHMRC processes for guideline development and will not yet have been submitted to the NHMRC for approval as with the document, these updates are intended to be a general guide based on the best evidence available at the time and are subject to the clinician's judgement and the patient's preference in each individual case.

CHANGES TO KEY MESSAGES - ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT: SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE 2nd Edition 2005 AND DECEMBER 2007 UPDATE

The recent retraction by a number of journals of papers written by one author has been noted. The Editorial Panel of Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence 2nd edition (2005) and its December 2007 Update has reviewed these documents and concluded that withdrawal of these papers directly affects one key message in the 2005 document and one in the 2007 Update.

ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT: SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE 2ND EDITION 2005

Page xviii under 'Antidepressant drugs' and page 55

Key Message 3: Antidepressants reduce the incidence of chronic neuropathic pain after acute zoster and breast surgery (Level II).

This Key Message should have reference to breast surgery omitted as the study supporting this statement has been withdrawn

UPDATE TO 2ND EDITION, DECEMBER 2007

Pages 6 and 27

Key Message 17:Short-term use of COX-2 inhibitors does not affect bone healing in spinal fusion (Level II).

The level of evidence is for this Key Message is changed to Level III-2 as the study used to support the statement as evidence Level II is now  also withdrawn.

Preparation of the third edition of Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence is underway and the retraction of this author's papers has been taken into account.

Managing Acute Pain - A Guide for Patients (2005)

This booklet talks about acute pain and why pain should be managed properly. It aims to help you, your family and carers understand why pain control is important and how to play an active role in choosing options for treating your pain.

This booklet was derived from the document Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence (Second Edition), which was developed by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Pain Medicine. This document aims to help health professionals work with patients to manage acute pain effectively and safely.

Download Managing Acute Pain - A Guide for Patients (2005) ( 763 kB)

Hard copies can be purchased (in multiples of 50) using the Order Form ( 1.3 MB)

NATIONAL PRESCRIBING SERVICE (NPS) ACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN (APOP) TOOLKIT

The NPS quality improvement toolkit on Acute Postoperative Pain (APOP) management is now available. The APOP toolkit comprises a downloadable software application (audit tool) and educational resources. The APOP toolkit will assist anaesthetic, surgical and nursing staff in postoperative units and Acute Pain Service teams to conduct reviews of patient care in the area of acute postoperative pain. The audit tool measures pain assessment and sedation scores, postoperative analgesic use and safety of prescribing and administration, patient perspectives on effective pain management and adverse effects and discharge management.
Access the free toolkit click here.

Access Economics Report- The high price of pain: The economic impact of persistent pain in Australia.

To view this report click here.

APAGBI - Good Practice in Procedural and Postoperative Pain

Fellows’ attention is drawn to the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland document “Good Practice in Procedural and Postoperative Pain”.  The document can be viewed at:

www.apagbi.org.uk/docs/APA_Guidelines_on_Pain_Management.pdf  

Appendix:  www.apagbi.or.uk/docs/APA_Guidelines_on_Pain_Management_Appendix.pdf

A Faculty Fellow, Dr Suellen Walker, was a member of the APAGBI Acute Pain Guideline Working Party, which also included representatives from the Royal College of Nursing (UK), Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, British Pain Society, British Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the Patient Liaison Group of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.  The document has been ratified by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and endorsed by the British Pain Society and the Royal College of Nursing.  The document will be referenced in the upcoming Third Edition of the ANZCA/FPM Acute Pain Medicine: Scientific Evidence document.

Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine Methadone Survey Report

The Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine recently circulated a survey which was designed to assess the level of interest in participating in a workshop on the use of methadone in pain management.

Download Methadone Survey Report (  150 KB)

Career Guide

The Faculty of Pain Medicine has produced a Career Guide: An Introduction to Pain Medicine as a guide to those wishing to enter this new and challenging specialty.

Download Career Guide: An Introduction to Pain Medicine ( 1.3 MB)

Pain Oriented Physical Examination (POPE) DVD

The POPE DVD is an interactive presentation on the physical examination of the pain patient, to address the "Why?" as well as the "How?" and incorporate discussion on the interpretation of findings, guided by recent advances in the neurobiology of nociception. 

This DVD runs for 50 minutes and can also be viewed online. 

To purchase your own copy of the POPE DVD, please complete and return the Order Form ( 36 kB).