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AUTH Why you should read this article: • To understand patients' experience of post-operative pain • To develop an effective method of assessing patients' post-operative pain • To recognise the nurse's role in the management of post-operative pain While post-operative pain is a common and unavoidable consequence of surgery, evidence suggests that the levels of pain experienced by patients are unnecessarily high. In the past two decades, evidence has also indicated that nurses' knowledge of the assessment and effective management of pain is suboptimal. This article considers the elements required for an effective post-operative pain assessment, as well as examining the barriers that result in many patients' post-operative pain not being assessed. The article also provides an overview of the main pain management interventions available to nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare professionals will be aware of the need to improve treatment of hip fractures, with the ultimate goal of returning the individual to pre-injury health. Patients with hip fractures awaiting surgery can experience severe pain that may be difficult to relieve with traditional analgesics. Physical assessment and essential nursing care require moving the patient, which further increases pain. Nerve blocks have been administered as a form of post-operative pain relief in a variety of surgical procedures, and there is growing interest in the use of femoral nerve blocks in the pre-operative period for patients with hip fractures. This article looks at the prevalence of hip fractures and associated problems. It highlights the importance of effective management of pain and explores the use of local anaesthetics for pain relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mission of the Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF) is to improve health outcomes by increasing the use of the Cochrane Library and supporting Cochrane's role by providing an evidence base for nurses and healthcare professionals who deliver, lead or research nursing care. The CNCF produces Cochrane Corner columns, summaries of recent nursing-care-relevant Cochrane Reviews that are regularly published in collaborating nursing-related journals. Information on the processes CNCF has developed can be accessed at: nursingcare.cochrane.org/evidence-transfer-program-reviewsummaries. This is a Cochrane review summary of: Hamilton TW, Athanassoglou V, Trivella M et al (2016) Liposomal bupivacaine peripheral nerve block for the management of postoperative pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study by Dr. Ann V. Quan of the University of Miami Hospital that investigated the efficacy of nerve block to treat the neuropathic components of ocular pain. Review of 11 patients treated with standard injectable solution of bupivacaine for ocular pain from varying etiologies showed 7 patients reporting immediate pain relief, the longest period being 7 months. It concludes that nerve blocks can successfully treat chronic ocular pain from a variety of causes.

The article discusses the uniform approach to emergency pain treatment applied at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in New Jersey, developed by its medical director of pain management Alexis LaPietra, which only utilizes opioid treatment as last resort. It also discusses its Alternatives to Opioids programme for five acute pain including headache, kidney stones, and musculoskeletal pain using nitrous oxide, ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, and trigger-point injections.

Several letter to the editor are presented in response to a 92 year old male experiences sixth nerve palsy headaches.

Multiple letters to the editor in response to the case of 18 years old facing blurry vision and intermittent diplopia and a 92-year-old male experiencing sixth nerve palsy.

A quiz concerning femoral nerve blocks is presented.

The article presents an answer to a compounding question regarding a stable formulation of phenol 7.5% injectable solution for intrathecal instillation to be used for nerve blockade.

Lynne Pearce reports on a nurse-led service that helps patients with a hip fracture recover more quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on an innovative approach to pain management for patients with hip fractures that features the use of nerve block, can keep patients pain free for up to 16 hours and was initiated by pain nurses at Luton and Dunstable Hospital in Great Britain.

The article focuses on a study regarding liposomal formulation of a local anesthetic. It notes that researches discovered that liposomes containing saxitoxin provided nerve blocks in rats for two days, while similar liposomes and the steroid dexamethasone provided nerve-blocking effects for 7.5 days. However, limited duration of pain relief, negative reactions in local tissues and systemic toxicity are the factors that hampered the creation of extended-release anesthetic formulations.

The article reports on the off-label use of botulinum toxin type A (Botox) for refractory headache. Botox is prescribed by physicians for the treatment of acute or chronic tension-type headaches, cervicogenic headaches and chronic migraine headaches. Patients with severe occipital neuralgia underwent occipital nerve blocks using 50 units of Botox for each block and significant improvements were shown in the visual analogue scale and Pain Disability Index.