Post-operative pain therapy: prescription patterns in two Nigerian teaching hospitals

In order to evaluate doctors prescriptions in post-operative pain management, a precoded, structured and pretested questionnaire was administered to resident doctors working in the department of surgery in two teaching hospitals in Nigeria. The questionnaires were completed voluntarily by all the doctors involved. Fifty-five completed questionnaires were analysed. Fifty-three per cent of the doctors aimed at relieving just enough pain for the patient to be comfortable. The others aimed at complete pain relief. Drug availability was the most important factor determining what the doctors prescribed. Anaesthetists had little or no influence on their choice of drugs. Forty-five per cent of the doctors thought that they had been adequately educated in pain control. However, the level of training did not influence the response (p > 0.05). Intramuscular opioid, 6-8 hourly, was the most preferred route of drug administration. It was concluded that prescribing patterns for post-operative pain therapy in Nigeria has changed little in the last decade. The new treatment modalities, which are being utilized in developed countries, are still not being used in this country.