Abstract
The development of emergency surgical care has improved clinical outcomes, and the mortality rate has been reduced by a great margin, but the management of acute pain remains one of the biggest problems. Acute pain in post-emergency surgical patients is often not well identified, evaluated, and treated, which contributes to the prolonged period of recovery, greater complications, and poor patient satisfaction. There is evidence to indicate that inadequately managed postoperative pain can be one of the contributing factors to delayed mobilization, psychological distress, and functional impairment in the long term. This paper will review the current literature on acute pain in emergency surgery, its prevalence, factors contributing to it, available management protocols, pain evaluation procedures, drug and non-drug interventions, and patient-reported measures. The literature indicated that pain management practices vary significantly, the use of standardized pain assessment tools is limited, and incorporation of patient-centered approaches is also inadequate. It is necessary to involve accurate pain evaluation, multimodal analgesia, case-specific care plans, and sustained pain management after the immediate postoperative phase to enhance acute pain outcomes of emergency surgery, improve recovery, and quality of care.