Observational Study of an Automatic Detection of Patients at Risk of Chronic Postoperative Pain ("Alerte Douleur")

Étude Observationnelle Prospective d'Une Alerte Douleur informatisée Automatique Par Les Applications Informatiques hospitalières Des HUG Pour prédire l'Apparition de Douleurs Chroniques Post opératoires

Following surgery, some but not all patients develop persistent (or chronic) postoperative pain CPSP. Several risk factors for this persistent pain have been confirmed in previous studies, but neither surgeons nor anesthesiologists have or take the time to systematically screen patients for this risk. However, hospital information systems often contain the data already, entered during preoperative consultations (e.g. chronic opioid medication) or obtained during the postoperative period (e.g. pain scores).

Here the investigators test an automatic detection algorithm which alerts the analgesia team when a patient at risk of CPSP is or has been operated.

The primary aim of the study is to confirm that the sensitivity of the automatic alert is at least 80%, i.e. that 80% of patients with the primary outcome had an automatic alert.

The secondary aim of the study is to develop an algorithm (combination of risk factors) with which the specificity of the alert can be improved.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age
• elective surgery
• perioperative use of the hospital information system
• surgery of the following types: endoprosthesis of the knee or shoulder, amputation other than toe or finger, spinal surgery, cardio-thoracic thoracotomy, laparotomy, inguinal hernia repair, breast surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• inability to read and understand the consent form or the questionnaires
• emergency surgery
• having already participated in the study for another surgery