Pharmacologic Management of Pain in the ICU

The basic principles of pain management in the ICU involve employing an assessment-driven and protocol-based approach. This approach should be holistic, utilizing standardized assessment tools and a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions. To enhance the quality of analgesia and reduce side effects, a stepwise multimodal approach to pain management should be implemented. Furthermore, it's important to prioritize analgesia before sedation to minimize the use of sedatives. Special attention should be given to tailoring an individually adapted analgesic regimen, titrating the dosage to specific personalized goals using the lowest effective amount.