<p>The working party report by the Royal College of Surgeons and The College of Anaesthetists (1990) concluded that the management of pain after surgery was unsatisfactory. A number of studies were cited showing that a significant number of patients experienced an unacceptable degree of pain after surgery. The report made several recommendations, including:</p> ■ <p>Hospital staff education should be improved and traditional attitudes to post-operative pain relief challenged</p> ■ <p>Pain should be assessed and recorded systematically, involving the patient whenever possible</p> ■ <p>New methods of pain control should be introduced and existing methods used more effectively</p> ■ <p>Audit should take place along with continuous appraisal of activity.</p>