Pain Medicine

The Acute Pain Service

The Acute Pain Service (APS) commenced in early 1989. It currently sees over 2000 new inpatients each year - nearly 10,000 patient visits annually. The majority of patients are referred for the management of postoperative or trauma pain; the rest for management of acute pain due to a variety of medical diseases. The hospital does not offer paediatric or obstetric services.

Many patients seen by the APS are already under the care of the Chronic Pain Unit, the Palliative Care Service and the Drug and Alcohol Service. The APS works closely with these services to ensure optimal management of pain in the acute and transitional phases.

The Chronic Pain Unit is a comprehensive consultative service accepting referrals from within SA and brordering state areas. Referrals come mainly from the Royal Adelaide Hospital outpatient and inpatient services and also from public and private sector hospitals in South Australia.