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Become a Member
ACS Home
My Dashboard
Donate to the foundation
Quality Programs
For Medical Professionals
For Patients
Advocacy & Policy
About Us
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

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ACS
Safe Pain Control

How to Safely Manage Pain After Surgery

Opioid Abuse and Surgery

How to Safely Manage Pain After Surgery

The Best Recovery Is a Safe Recovery

Managing pain helps to speed recovery following your operation. Your surgical team wants to help you to safely and effectively manage any pain that you may have after surgery. "Safe pain control" means using medication and other therapies to manage pain with the least amount of side effects.

Common Questions, Important Answers

Learn how to:

  • Use alternatives to opioids for mild and moderate pain,
  • Safely use opioids for severe pain,
  • Safely store and dispose of leftover opioids,
  • Recognize the signs of opioid dependence and misuse.
Safe Pain Management For Adults

Safe Pain Management For Adults

View our brochure on safe and effective pain control after surgery for adults.
Pain Management After Surgery for Women

Pain Management After Surgery for Women

View our brochure on safe and effective pain control after surgery for women.
My Pain Plan

My Pain Plan

Keep track of your pain and medications before and after surgery with our interactive pain plan management tool.
Safe Pain Management for Children and Teens

Safe Pain Management for Children and Teens

View our brochure on safe and effective pain control after surgery for children and teens.
How to Safely and Effectively Manage Pain

How to Safely and Effectively Manage Pain

Watch our short video to learn how to safely manage your pain at home following surgery.

Take Survey

Take Survey

Your feedback is important and helps us to produce materials that you need. We ask that you complete a patient evaluation survey 4-5 days after your surgery about your pain management experiences.
Safe Opioid Use in Surgery: A Team-Based Approach

Safe Opioid Use in Surgery: A Team-Based Approach

The ACS is partnering with HCSC, a subsidiary of BCBS, to provide education on patient outcomes in pain management following musculoskeletal surgery.

Additional Resources

(Please note that by clicking on the links below, you will be leaving the American College of Surgeons website to view content on external websites.)

Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know

Opioid Risk Tool (screening form to assess risk of misuse)

Help and Treatment with Opioid Misuse or Abuse (addiction or dependence)

National Institute of Drug Abuse Opioids Resource Page

CDC's Opioids for Acute Pain. What You Need to Know

Open for Patients - University of Michigan

Anesthesia in Surgery – What to Expect

Pain Resources - National Library of Medicine

Pain and Stress in the Neonate – Prevention and Management (AAP Policy)

Pediatric Anesthesia

Brochure References

How Surgeons Are Addressing the Opioid Epidemic

Surgeons and all physicians are now screening their patients prior to opioid administration using the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Alternatives to opioids are being used and the amount and dose of opioid pills prescribed to patients is lower when appropriate. Numerous studies are underway monitoring the number of pills used by patients and their pain scores to better match pain control options for specific operations and avoid any excess opioid use (Hill MV, et al. 2018; Howard R, et al. 2018). Below are additional educational and leadership strategies for surgeons:

The General Surgeon’s Role in Enhancing Patient Education About Prescription Opioids

Surgical Leadership Is Required to Reverse the Opioid Crisis

Professional Resources for Surgeons

We have educational programs, professional resources, research news, even opportunities to get involved—all in an effort to promote safe pain control post-surgery.

See What’s Available

Our Opioid Task Force

Meet the professionals dedicated to safe and effective pain control.

 

This section of the American College of Surgeons website has been developed so you can learn more about safe pain control after your operation. If you have any questions after reading through this material, don’t hesitate to ask your surgeon.