Day surgery analgesia

Seventy-five per cent of all elective surgery will soon be day surgery. Thirty to fifty per cent of the patients do not take post discharge analgesia around the clock regularly as instructed. Thirty per cent of the patients experience moderate to severe pain post discharge as a result of only taking analgesia as required after day surgery. Patient education in preassessment clinic (PAC) is vital to ensure that patients understand day surgery analgesia management. Proactive pre-emptive and multimodal analgesia utilizing regional anaesthesia reduce opioid-related side effects and enable discharge home. Post discharge regular multimodal analgesia is key to achieving goal of mild post discharge pain scores. Patient follow up is vital for audit and ensuring quality clinical care.