NOTE: This module is currently in the process of being updated and recertified, and so does not currently offer CME. A fully updated module eligible for CME is expected to be available Summer 2025.

Darin J. Correll, MD

If you are a Program Director and would like to grant access to your trainees, please reach out to education@hospitalmedicine.org for an academic access code.

SUMMARY

Pain is probably the most common presenting or associated symptom in patients in the hospital, and patients are often more concerned about being in pain than they are about the primary reason for admission. Pain is a completely subjective experience that is the consequence of the filtering, modulating, and distorting of the afferent nerve activity (i.e., nociceptive input) through the affective (i.e., limbic system) and cognitive processes unique to each individual. The following educational module discusses why postoperative pain requires treatment, outlines methods for performing a proper assessment of pain, provides strategies for utilizing patient-controlled analgesia safely and effectively, and summarizes the use of opioid and non-opioid analgesics in the postoperative setting to help hospitalists improve patients’ quality of recovery and life.

GOAL

Provide hospitalists with current information and guidelines for the treatment of postoperative pain.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity is designed for hospitalists. No prerequisites required.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After participating in this activity, the participant will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Define what pain is and recognize why postoperative pain requires treatment.
2. Perform a proper assessment of pain in the postoperative patient.
3. Utilize patient-controlled analgesia safely and effectively in the postoperative setting.
4. Summarize how to use non-opioid analgesic agents in the postoperative period.
5. Describe appropriate use of opioids in the postoperative period.

CME INFORMATION

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT

The Society of Hospital Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians

CREDIT STATEMENT DESIGNATION 

The Society of Hospital Medicine designates this activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 2 MOC points [and patient safety MOC credit] in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Release date:  9/23/2019

Expiration date:  9/23/2022

Estimated time to complete activity: 2 hours

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE POLICY

In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, SHM requires that individuals in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. SHM mitigates all conflicts of interest to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor in all its educational programs. All relevant financial relationships shall be disclosed to participants prior to the start of the activity.

Furthermore, SHM seeks to verify that all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in a continuing medical education (CME) activity conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis. SHM is committed to providing its learners with high-quality CME activities that promote improvements in healthcare and not those of a commercial interest.

INSTRUCTIONS

The following is an interactive educational module designed to help you gauge your basic knowledge of the topic and then direct you to areas you may need to focus on. It consists of 3 sections: a pre-test, a study program, and a CME post-test. All 3 sections must be completed to receive CME credit.