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Acute pain is one of the most common presenting symptoms in General Practice. Appropriate initial management is crucial to preventing the development of a chronic pain syndrome, which can be poorly responsive to treatment and carry significant long-term morbidity. The first step in generating a successful pain treatment plan is to accurately determine the type of pain the patient is experiencing. A multimodal approach can then be targeted appropriately.

Over recent years, there has been an increasing reliance on strong opioids to treat both acute and chronic pain, with a concerning escalation of prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose, including overdose-related deaths. It is important that General Practitioners are aware of some resultant changes in approach to opioid use and stewardship, in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Good communication of diagnosis, management plan and prognosis is important with all patients, but especially so with those challenging patients with complex pain-needs. Harnessing the value of language through understanding of placebo and nocebo can enhance the satisfaction and outcome of these consultations for GP and patient alike.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify post-surgical pain syndromes and the importance of using a multimodal approach to reducing their morbidity
2. Differentiate between various acute pain syndromes and determine the best model of management accordingly
3. Outline current approaches to opioid use and stewardship in inpatient and outpatient settings
4. Apply expert communication skills in managing patients with complex pain-needs.

Details

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Upon completion, your CPD activity record may take up to 48 hours to be reflected on your CPD Home Dashboard.