Background: It is important to ensure a patient-safe environment in the perioperative setting. With this in mind, a "patient-safety first" philosophy was adopted within our operating room service.
Methods: During the first phase of the interventional study (2001-2002), we defined and executed the organizational and educational aspects of the intervention.
Study Objective: To describe our nurse-based Acute Pain Services (APS) and present the results of 4617 patients treated by our service.
Design: Descriptive audit.
Setting: Large referral hospital.