Surgeon Perceptions and Experiences with Postoperative Acute Pain Management: A Mixed-Methods Study.

IF 4.4 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Pain and Therapy Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-15 DOI:10.1007/s40122-026-00842-x

Vinod Dasa, Scott J Keating, Sushanth Jeyakumar, K D Jacobs, Lauren A Crowder, Sloan Rucker, Alexandra J Feld, Moeen Panni, Ann M Menzie

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Although prior studies have examined healthcare providers' perspectives on opioid prescribing for postoperative pain, limited research exists on surgeons' experiences managing acute postoperative pain in adults. This study evaluated surgeons' perceptions and experiences to better understand challenges in managing acute pain and assess perceived impacts of inadequately managed pain on patients.

Methods: A sequential mixed methods study was conducted using concept elicitation interviews and a descriptive quantitative survey, with a convenience sample of United States (US)-based general, orthopedic, and plastic surgeons. Interview findings identified key themes related to surgeons' perceptions of challenges and barriers associated with managing postoperative acute pain. These themes informed the development of a survey to quantify surgeons' unmet needs, challenges, and experiences regarding postoperative pain management.

Results: Key themes from the interviews (N = 30) included challenges with effective pain management, advantages and disadvantages of commonly used pain medications, and difficulties managing pain in special populations. Among surveyed surgeons (N = 80), the most frequently reported challenges were managing patient pain management expectations (72.5%) and balancing adequate analgesic effect with risk of adverse events (71.3%). Approximately half (53.8%) were "moderately satisfied" with pain medications available during the study period, identifying the most important medication characteristics as the degree and duration of analgesic effect and time to onset. Most surgeons (80.0%) reported that concerns about opioid addiction or dependency "moderately" to "extremely impacted" their prescribing patterns. Additionally, 65% of surgeons indicated that inadequately managed postoperative pain has a moderate to extreme impact on patient recovery.

Conclusions: Surgeon experiences with postoperative pain management emphasize challenges and unmet needs surrounding acute pain medications and highlight surgeons' perceptions of the negative impacts of inadequately managed acute pain on patients.

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外科医生对术后急性疼痛管理的认知和经验：一项混合方法的研究。

导论：虽然先前的研究已经检查了医疗保健提供者对阿片类药物处方治疗术后疼痛的观点，但关于外科医生处理成人术后急性疼痛的经验的研究有限。本研究评估了外科医生的感知和经验，以更好地了解管理急性疼痛的挑战，并评估对患者管理不当的疼痛的感知影响。方法：采用概念启发访谈法和描述性定量调查法进行顺序混合方法研究，选取美国的普通外科医生、骨科医生和整形外科医生作为方便样本。访谈结果确定了与外科医生对处理术后急性疼痛相关的挑战和障碍的看法相关的关键主题。这些主题为一项调查的开展提供了信息，该调查旨在量化外科医生在术后疼痛管理方面未满足的需求、挑战和经验。结果：访谈（N = 30）的主要主题包括有效疼痛管理的挑战，常用止痛药的优缺点，以及特殊人群疼痛管理的困难。在接受调查的外科医生（N = 80）中，最常见的挑战是管理患者疼痛管理预期（72.5%）和平衡足够的镇痛效果与不良事件风险（71.3%）。大约一半（53.8%）的人对研究期间可用的止痛药“中等满意”，确定最重要的药物特征是镇痛效果的程度和持续时间以及起效时间。大多数外科医生（80.0%）报告说，对阿片类药物成瘾或依赖的担忧“中度”到“严重影响”了他们的处方模式。此外，65%的外科医生指出，处理不当的术后疼痛对患者的恢复有中度到严重的影响。结论：外科医生术后疼痛管理的经验强调了急性疼痛药物的挑战和未满足的需求，并强调了外科医生对急性疼痛管理不当对患者的负面影响的认识。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Pain and Therapy CLINICAL NEUROLOGY-

CiteScore

6.60

自引率

5.00%

发文量

110

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Pain and Therapy is an international, open access, peer-reviewed, rapid publication journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality clinical (all phases), observational, real-world, and health outcomes research around the discovery, development, and use of pain therapies and pain-related devices. Studies relating to diagnosis, pharmacoeconomics, public health, quality of life, and patient care, management, and education are also encouraged. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, acute pain, cancer pain, chronic pain, headache and migraine, neuropathic pain, opioids, palliative care and pain ethics, peri- and post-operative pain as well as rheumatic pain and fibromyalgia. The journal is of interest to a broad audience of pharmaceutical and healthcare professionals and publishes original research, reviews, case reports, trial protocols, short communications such as commentaries and editorials, and letters. The journal is read by a global audience and receives submissions from around the world. Pain and Therapy will consider all scientifically sound research be it positive, confirmatory or negative data. Submissions are welcomed whether they relate to an international and/or a country-specific audience, something that is crucially important when researchers are trying to target more specific patient populations. This inclusive approach allows the journal to assist in the dissemination of all scientifically and ethically sound research.