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Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly

Malpractice Verdicts Often Favor Physicians

Physicians come out on the winning end of 80% of malpractice claims that end in jury verdicts, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hos...

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Archive > April, 2003 Vol. IV, No. 4

How to Assess Post-op Pain

The first step to good pain management is accurate assessment. Here's expert advice on how to interpret the many indicators of pain.

Post-operative pain is undertreated, in large part because it is often "invisible." In the outpatient setting, pain can go unnoticed or disregarded by physicians, nurses and patients who consider it a natural and physiologic consequence of surgery. The problem is, post-op pain can profoundly hinder outcomes, and the failure to appropriately assess and treat pain is fast becoming a liability issue. In this article, I outline an evidence-based approach that will help you bring some accountability and objectivity to the process of pain assessment.

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Categories: Anesthesia, Staffing/Training, Patient Management
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