Pain-free day surgery? Evaluating pain and pain assessment during hysteroscopy (September 2020)

Summary

Hysteroscopy is a diagnostic gynaecological procedure traditionally requiring administration of general anaesthesia, but more frequently completed using local anaesthesia within a day-case (ambulatory) setting. Advantages associated with this transition include decreased completion times, fewer risks, and lower clinical costs. Numerous services advertise the procedure as being either pain free or low pain; however, it is estimated that 25% of patients report experiencing intense or intolerable pain. For severe pain, local anaesthetic can be administered, but this does not guarantee effective pain management.

This research, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, found that very few patients feel no pain and a significant number felt pain of greater than 7/10. It also found a disconnect between the patient's experience of pain and the clinician's perception of it. This research paper is paywalled, but can be purchased via the link below.