PANDOS

The Pain and Opioids after Surgery (PANDOS) study

The aim of PANDOS is to document perioperative opioid use and its safety, and to describe its association with adverse events and persistent pain.
PANDOS is a one-week international, prospective, observational cohort study. Our goal is to include at least 100 hospitals in the United Kingdom, and as many hospitals as possible in Europe.

The aim of this study is to document the perioperative opioid use and its safety in the UK and countries in Europe and to describe its association with surgical complications, persistent pain and quality of life.
In an international, prospective, observational cohort study, data about the perioperative pain management will be collected in all eligible hospitalised adult patients who undergo surgery in a designated "study week".

We have worked hard to limit the burden for participants. The anonymised data will be entered online, with a simple data collection form and short questionnaires, perioperatively, a follow-up of 3 and 12 months by telephone. Participants (patients) will also be able to capture data by themselves.
Baseline data will be collected, and participants followed up at one week, and at three and twelve months post-operatively. The primary outcome will be opioid use at three months after surgery. Secondary outcomes will include opioid use during the preoperative month (preoperative use), during surgery and up to one week after surgery (or discharge, whichever is earlier), and up to the end of the postoperative year. Additional secondary outcomes are the incidence of preoperative pain, persistent pain with/without the presence of neuropathic components, quality of life and surgical complications. The potential association between opioid use and pain outcomes will be investigated.

This study could help develop strategies to improve the quality of care and the safe use of opioids. Because we need better data to fill a knowledge gap, PANDOS could be a major reference in the future (1).

If you would like to be part of this new study, or just to find out more, do not hesitate to apply by expressing your interest by email to / to contact the Chief Investigator and the PANDOS team (Professor Patrice Forget, Clinical Chair in Anaesthesia, Aberdeen, UK by email or PANDOS email).