Ambulatory surgery centers are typically lauded for their high patient satisfaction rates. However, as higher acuity procedures, such as orthopedic and spine surgeries, are increasingly performed in the outpatient setting, surgeons are continually looking for treatments and techniques to ensure patient satisfaction, and pain management is a huge part of the equation.
According to Peter G. Whang, MD, FACS, associate professor in the spine service at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., the consequences of mismanaging postoperative pain can be severe for patients, including:
• Prolonged physical and psychological suffering
• Longer recovery times and hospital stays
• Higher instances of complications
• More hospital readmissions.
Additionally, advancements in pain management treatments are furthering their use in ASCs. Pain management physicians are constantly refining old treatments to improve care and move away from narcotics, said Glenn M. Lipton, MD, of DISC Sports & Spine Center in Marina del Rey, Calif., in a Becker's ASC Review article. Biologics, such as platelet rich plasma injections, are becoming recognized as effective options to traditional steroid therapies, he added.
Learn more about new technologies and techniques in pain management and improving patient satisfaction in outpatient surgery during a webinar hosted by Becker's ASC Review and Pacira Pharmaceuticals on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. CST.
The webinar features Paul Jeffords, MD, a spine surgeon at Resurgesn Spine Center and section chief, orthopedic surgery at Emory Saint Josephs Hospital in Atlanta.
