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Pain is a common symptom associated with various diseases, conditions, injuries and operations. The physician treating the primary disease of a patient is responsible for determining the appropriate pain management regimen for the patient.
In specialist medical care, pain management is divided into two entities:
- Management of acute pain (postoperative pain, for example)
- Management of chronic pain (neuropathic pain, cancer pain, etc.).
Pain medications (analgesics) and regional analgesia are commonly used in the treatment of acute postoperative pain.
The treatment of severe chronic pain requires multidiciplinary managment, this means co-operative effort of specialists and professionals from different fields of medicine. In addition to drug therapy, treatment often includes physiotherapy and psychological methods. Regional analgesia techniques can be used to alleviate severe cancer pain, if necessary.
Pain management in the HUS Area
The pain clinic at HUS provides chronic pain management. Patients treated in the pain clinics typically suffer from neuropathic, post-traumatic or cancer pain. Referrals concerning patients with prolonged severe pain are evaluated centrally, applying uniform criteria irrespective of the patient’s place of residence.
The HUS pain clinic does not offer emergency services. Pain-related emergencies are addressed by the patient's local care providing unit. A pain clinic or the acute pain management personnel of the local hospital are available for consultation, if required.
Patients living in the Hyvinkää Hospital Area are treated for pain at the Hyvinkää Hospital pain clinic. Patients from other hospitals in the HUS Area are usually referred to the HUS pain clinic.
An Acute Pain Service (APS) team operates in most units that perform surgical operations. An APS team focuses on managing acute postoperative pain and provides assistance and training for the ward personnel.