Postoperative pain management has been a focus of quality improvement for many years, but many studies included in a literature review report that pain care continues to be inconsistent and inadequate (Gordon et al., 2002). The authors recommended six quality indicators for hospital-based pain management that are in line with several items in the SCQIPP instrument. For example, pain intensity should be documented at frequent intervals with an assessment instrument, and pain should be treated by regularly administering analgesics. Such findings appear time and again in the literature.
What should be done? We believe it is essential for leaders at different organisational levels to highlight and take responsibility for this issue. How should evidence based knowledge be implemented and evaluated? A literature review by Brown and McCormack (2005) identified important factors on using evidence in practice as regards postoperative pain management, such as the need for a systematic approach to implement research.