Table 1 Key elements of the multidisciplinary analgesic care pathway

Provide adequate patient education about their procedure and expected outcomes

Establish expectations for post-operative pain and achievable pain management goals for the patient based on patient-provided feedback

Establish mutual expectations for post-operative pain and agree on achievable pain management goals for patients and with those team members caring for them

Understand what medications are available to give preoperatively for pain control

Establish the priority administration of non-opioid analgesics during the intraoperative phase over opioid analgesics

Provide thoughtful and rapid assessment of patient comfort in the PACU whilst providing patients and their family with a review of previous education and expectations

Schedule non-opioid analgesics within this framework, with opioids given as rescue medications available PRN