Media release from Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists

More than 100 pain medicine specialists from throughout Australia and New Zealand meet today (Friday April 30) to hear experts from Canada, the US and the UK speak on a range of topics at the Refresher Course Day of ANZCA's Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Rydges Hotel, Christchurch.


Topics include:

·        Who tolerates pain more - men or women? Canadian pain expert Professor Jeffrey Mogil will talk about research showing that men and women have different pain modulation systems in the brain that make females more sensitive to pain. He concludes pain research should involve more female participants than it currently does.

·        Individuals feel less pain when they are shown empathy. Professor Mogil reveals new research shows that pro-social behaviour can act as an analgesic and is expected to lead to the development of treatments that maximise this effect.

·        In a survey of patients who died or came to severe harm as a result of errors prescribing, administering or dispensing medicines in the UK, opioids proved to be the most dangerous. Advanced pharmacy practitioner at Nottingham University Hospitals, Dr Roger Knaggs, describes some of the solutions that are being implemented in the UK and gives suggestions to improve safety with these medicines in Australia and New Zealand.

·        In his paper "New drugs and novel techniques for regional anaesthesia" Professor Richard Rosenquist, visiting from Iowa in the US will talk about the latest in anaesthesia that targets one region of the body.

·        Anaesthetist, Dr Richard Seigne is part of the team at Christchurch Hospital that has introduced a program - Enhanced Recovery Post Surgery (ERPS) - that improves the patient's journey through hospital after major surgery. Pioneered in Denmark, the model concentrates on a coordinated approach to patient treatment.

Tomorrow: Day one, ANZCA's Annual Scientific Meeting

A range of subjects, including bariatric anaesthesia and obstetrics anaesthesia, will be discussed tomorrow (Saturday, May 1), day one of the Australian and New Zealand College of Surgeons' Annual Scientific Meeting at the Christchurch Convention Centre and Town Hall.

The importance of communication in stressful situations will be the focus of the session "Medical professionals in distress". Other sessions include "Fast track surgery" and "Unusual patients you may have to anaesthetise".

·        For further information please contact ANZCA media manager Clea Hincks on 021 463 610 or chincks@anzca.edu.au. Today's program can be found here