A systems approach to the management of acute surgical pain and reduction of opioid use: the approach of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital

Surgeons are among the highest prescribers of opioids, accounting for 56% of new starts of opioids in Ontario in 2016.1 At times we may not have an appropriate systems-based approach to the management of acute pain, which may lead to suboptimal management or unintended long-term dependency issues. We present the newly developed integrated systems approach of our Department of Surgery (www.oakvillesurgery.com) to pain management in the setting of acute surgical pain and show how surgeons can make a substantial impact in this important aspect of care.