Dr Linda Bryant, a clinical advisory and prescribing pharmacist, discussed the types of acute pain commonly seen in the primary care setting and a sensible pharmacological approach to these problems.
Rational NSAID and paracetamol prescribing will be covered, and the recent Cochrane evidence with regards to the efficacy of paracetamol use discussed. Through the cases presented, Linda will look at use of the pain ladder, individual drug prescribing and rational use of COX-2, tramadol and opioids in the acute pain setting.
Linda covers the appropriate early management of acute pain to help prevent progression to chronic pain, and discuss when referral should be considered. There will be a focus on avoiding analgesic loading and addressing patient expectations.
Resources
- Pharmac Pain Seminars
- Faces Pain Scale Pain Management (Second Edition) (2011)
- PDF of different pain score tools
- Helping Children with Pain
- Selected topics in acute pain management for primary care bpacnz (2017)
Presenter
Linda Bryant
MClinPharm, PhD, PGCert(Prescr), FNZHPA, FNZCP, FPSNZ, MCAPA, NZRegPharm
Linda is a clinical advisory and prescribing pharmacist working at Newtown Union Health Service and Porirua Union Health Service in Wellington. Prior to this Linda worked with East Heath Trust PHO in Counties Manukau as a clinical manager and clinical advisory pharmacist.
As well as working in general practice, and being part of the multidisciplinary team for TBI as a provider of the ACC Pain Management service, Linda teaches postgraduate clinical pharmacy students and is passionate about the optimisation and individualisation of medicines therapy.
Linda is Chair of the Clinical Advisory Pharmacists Association, past president of the NZ Hospital Pharmacists Association, and has been on the executive for the NZ College of Pharmacists and NZ Pharmaceutical Society. She is currently on the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee for MedSafe.
