Acute Pain Service - Tallaght Hospital
The Acute Pain Service (APS) which is based in the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine provides advice and clinical support on the most appropriate management of inpatients with acute pain.
The Acute Pain Team is multidisciplinary and comprises Consultant Anaesthetist, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Clinical Pharmacist. The APS functions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Formal multidisciplinary rounds with the Acute Pain Team and Recovery Room nursing staff takes place each morning (Monday to Friday) on all patients receiving Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA). Out of hours service is managed by the anaesthetists on call. Patient Controlled Analgesia is a system where patients administer their own analgesia intravenously by pressing a handset which is connected to a pump. It is used for the treatment of Acute Pain in patients who fulfill the following criteria:
- Post-operative or Trauma Patients 16 years or older, alert, orientated and co-operative
- Capacity to understand the instructions
- Capacity to use the devise
Epidural analgesia was introduced to Tallaght Hospital in 2005. It is now available on all wards, ICU and PACU. The acute pain team reviews patients twice daily during the week.
The Team
Chronic Pain Service is provided by:
Dr. Camillus Power Consultant Pain Anaesthetist Director Pain Service
Dr. Anne Heffernan Consultant Pain Anaesthetist
Sheila Horan Senior Physiotherapist
Orla Spencer Senior Clinical Psychologist
Laura O’Donnell Senior Occupational Therapist
Deirdre Wilson Clinical CNM11
Deirdre O’Shea CNM11
Catherine O’Donoghue CNS
