Careful anticipation and planning of the patient’s analgesic and antiemetic requirements intra-operatively will facilitate the patient’s post-operative recovery.

Tell the recovery team which analgesics and antiemetics have been administered and when.

If any drugs are required in recovery, these should be appropriately prescribed.

Post-operative analgesia and antiemetic therapy should also be prescribed. There may be special instructions if epidural anaesthesia or patient controlled analgesia are used.

Most hospitals have a protocol for both epidural and patient controlled analgesia which should be completed by the anaesthetist. Any deviations from the protocol must be both clearly documented and verbally handed over.