Forty-three Acute Pain Service units in Australia and New Zealand were surveyed regarding data they collected on their daily rounds. The survey sought to determine what data each unit actually collected and what they considered to be a set of data that would be an acceptable minimal standard for the purpose of audit. The scoring or scaling mechanisms that were used in auditing the various parameters were also ascertained in an attempt to derive a consistent means of comparing data from the various Acute Pain Service groups. The Acute Pain Special Interest Group is currently developing suggestions for a standard data set and associated scoring mechanisms in line with the results of this survey.
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