The anesthesia department at Canada's Ottawa Hospital is striving to improve pain control practices and training for physicians responsible for managing pain, according to an Ottawa Citizen report.
Over the next year, in an effort to prioritize pain as the "fifth vital sign," the anesthesia department plans to roll out a poster campaign to raise awareness, improve training for colleagues and offer hands-on coaching to any primary care physician in the Ottawa area.
The department has also developed a curriculum with the University of Ottawa aimed at educating all medical students in the basics of pain management. According to the report, while pain management specialists are skilled in providing pain care to patients, other specialists often lack the necessary knowledge to respond to pain complaints or provide relief without specialist intervention.
The initiatives are taking place with little additional funding from the hospital or regional health authority, something the anesthesia department hopes will eventually change as hospitals increase their focus on pain management.
Read the Ottawa Citizen report on pain management.
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Over the next year, in an effort to prioritize pain as the "fifth vital sign," the anesthesia department plans to roll out a poster campaign to raise awareness, improve training for colleagues and offer hands-on coaching to any primary care physician in the Ottawa area.
The department has also developed a curriculum with the University of Ottawa aimed at educating all medical students in the basics of pain management. According to the report, while pain management specialists are skilled in providing pain care to patients, other specialists often lack the necessary knowledge to respond to pain complaints or provide relief without specialist intervention.
The initiatives are taking place with little additional funding from the hospital or regional health authority, something the anesthesia department hopes will eventually change as hospitals increase their focus on pain management.
Read the Ottawa Citizen report on pain management.
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
Five-Year-Old Dies Following Overdose of Anesthetic in Georgia
Inglewood Surgeon Surrenders License After Patient Death From Anesthesia Overdose
6 Traits Anesthesiologists Look for in a Surgery Center