American Pain Society's 27th Annual Scientific Meeting (May 8 – 10, 2008): Acute Pain In The Emergency Department: Clinical Practice, Research And Development

Management and research in acute pain treatment has focused on post-operative settings (dental, ob/gyn, orthopedic, etc). However, largely due to accreditation directives, pain as an important entity for patient care and comfort has become a critical issue. Dr. Todd will discuss the epidemiology and current status of acute pain and its management in the ER. For the clinician this pain is derived from a variety of pathologies making management a dynamic challenge. Dr. Hewitt will discuss recent experience with analgesic trials in the ER. For these researchers the designing and conducting controlled trials in this unique environment can be daunting. As we learn more about these patients we realize that their pain does not mirror post-op experiences and their needs can be dramatically different. Dr. Rappaport will outline some of the issues that need to be carefully evaluated and validated for this population to be considered in a proper light for consideration as an important model for FDA review. For the regulator the protection of patients and assurance of therapies that are safe and effective requires a thorough understanding of the nature of responses to these acute pain treatments.