Table 2.

Transitional Pain Service (TPS) referral criteria

• Preoperative chronic pain with or without opioid use

• Intense postoperative pain.

○ Prolonged Acute Pain Service (APS) stay based on surgical intervention

○ Patients with intense pain, who continue to be seen by the APS beyond the expected trajectory

○ Patients requiring a repeat APS consultation once discharged from the APS (initiated by the surgical team)

○ Medically stable patients unable to be discharged due to a complex pain problem

• High postoperative opioid consumption

○ Patients who consume more than 90 mg/day of oral morphine equivalents given high requirement for opioid weaning assistance after discharge

○ Patients admitted on methadone or buprenorphine who do not have access to a community pain specialist

○ Patients discharged with a prescription for a long acting opioid-based medication

○ Patients needing interventional postsurgical procedures (eg, stump catheters post-amputation)

• Emotional distress

○ Depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, or other psychosocial concern identified by APS or TPS screening questionnaires