The Clinical Pharmacist’s Role in Perioperative Surgical Pain Management

Abstract

The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to demonstrate the value of having a clinical pain pharmacist in transitional perioperative pain management. Patients were referred to the pain pharmacist prior to elective surgery. The pharmacist worked with the patients to develop an individualized perioperative analgesic plan and provided education regarding surgery. The enrolled patients were followed throughout their surgical course by the pharmacist, and upon discharge the pharmacist conducted follow-up phone interviews approximately weekly for up to a month. This was followed by a phone survey regarding satisfaction with this service. Referring providers were also surveyed to determine satisfaction. Greater than 90% of patients reported they were "very appreciative" of the pharmacist talking to them about a pain management plan both before surgery and after discharge. One hundred percent of referring providers who responded to the survey reported they were satisfied with the pharmacist role in perioperative pain management. Pain management pharmacy specialists contribute to positive pain management outcomes for patients and surgical provider satisfaction.