Acute pain is a complex process involving activation of nociceptors, chemical mediators and inflammation. In the surgical setting acute pain most commonly occurs due to trauma, disease pathology such as acute pancreatitis or post operatively. Medications can be used to target each of the key elements within the pain pathway and eliminate or reduce the sensation of pain. Transdermal analgesics are now being used in many areas of pain management and by many different patient groups. In the management of acute pain, the pain relief patch has two roles: prevention and treatment. Transdermal delivery of opioids has been used for many years, but has not been recommended for use in acute pain due to delayed onset of action and risks of toxicity.

Elimination half-life of transdermal opioids can be up to 27 hours, thus patients who experience side effects, especially respiratory depression, need to be monitored and supported for a full day after discontinuing therapy. Yet, transdermal patches are routinely used in the surgical wards of our institute for acute pain management. This study is being conducted to assess the prevalence of use of transdermal patches for management of acute pain and to assess the patients knowledge and compliance with respect to transdermal patches.