HYBRID EVENT: You can participate in person at London, UK or Virtually from your home or work.

6th Edition of Global Conference on Surgery and Anaesthesia

September 15-17, 2025 | Hybrid Event

September 15 -17, 2025 | London, UK
GCSA 2025

Improving post-operative analgesia regimens after emergency major abdominal surgery

Shifa Bangi, Speaker at Surgery Conferences
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, United Kingdom
Title : Improving post-operative analgesia regimens after emergency major abdominal surgery

Abstract:

Background: Effective postoperative pain management is paramount for patient recovery after emergency major abdominal surgery, impacting morbidity, length of stay, and overall outcomes. Variability in analgesic prescribing, potential opioid overuse, and underutilisation of non-opioid analgesics are prevalent issues. A structured, stepwise approach to analgesia is particularly important when patients transition from patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) to regular oral analgesia. This quality improvement project aimed to standardise and optimise postoperative analgesia at the John Radcliffe Hospital's Surgical Emergency Unit (SEU).

Aim: To assess current analgesic practices, implement targeted interventions to align with evidence-based guidelines, and evaluate the impact of these interventions on postoperative pain management following emergency major abdominal surgery.

Methods: A retrospective audit of patients undergoing emergency major abdominal surgery was conducted. Patients were identified using the department’s National Emergency Laparotomy Audit registry. Data was collected on surgical, anaesthetic, and patient-related factors influencing postoperative pain, analgesia prescriptions and ward round documentation. Analgesic prescriptions during the first postoperative week were converted to Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) for comparative analysis. Key metrics included opioid consumption, non-opioid analgesic usage, documentation quality, and length of stay. Interventions included: (1) educational sessions for junior doctors on multimodal analgesia and guideline adherence, (2) implementation of a standardised analgesic prescription checklist including objective pain score and (3) promotion of a readily accessible electronic powerplan for analgesic prescribing. A post-intervention audit was performed to assess the impact of these changes.

Results: Post-intervention, significant improvements were observed in the documentation of analgesic plans during ward rounds and increased awareness of optimal postoperative analgesic regimens. Over time this has the potential to result in a demonstrable reduction in overall MME consumption and a trend towards decreased length of stay.

Conclusion: This quality improvement project demonstrates that targeted interventions, including education, checklists, and streamlined electronic prescribing, can improve postoperative analgesia following emergency major abdominal surgery. Implementing a standardised, multimodal approach to pain management enhances patient recovery, reduces opioid consumption, and improves clinical outcomes.

Biography:

Shifa Bangi, MBBS BSc Hons, graduated from Imperial College London in 2022 and she is currently a Core Surgical Trainee at the Surgical Emergency Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Her clinical interests centre on general surgery, with a particular focus on Upper GI surgery. Dr. Bangi serves as the Core Surgical Trainee Representative for the Thames Valley region. Furthermore, as Associate Teaching Fellow at Green Templeton College, she delivers and supervises teaching sessions for University of Oxford medical students. Alongside these roles, she is actively engaged in research and will be applying for ST3 General Surgery this year.

 

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