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Nurses' strategies for managing pain in the postoperative setting
Elizabeth Manias1, Tracey Bucknall, Mari Botti
1School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, 723 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia. emanias@unimelb.edu.au
Summary
Nurses often struggle with postoperative pain management due to time constraints and communication gaps. This study reveals nurses prioritize non-pharmacologic methods and highlights the need for better pain assessment and communication strategies in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Pain Management
- Healthcare Delivery
Background:
- Acute postoperative pain is a prevalent issue, with patients reporting inadequate pain control and insufficient information.
- Nurses often rely on pharmacologic interventions and may under-administer analgesics, necessitating an examination of their actual pain management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the pain management strategies employed by nurses in the postoperative setting.
- To explore how contextual factors, such as care organization and workload pressures, influence these strategies.
Main Methods:
- An observational study was conducted in two surgical units of a metropolitan teaching hospital.
- Data were collected through 74 observations of 52 nurses managing postoperative patients, identifying 316 pain cases during key periods.
Main Results:
- Six themes emerged: effective pain management, prioritization of pain, missed pain cues, regulatory influences, pain prevention, and reactive management.
- Communication between clinicians and patients, and among clinicians, was found to be critical.
- Time significantly influenced management strategies, and non-pharmacologic measures were emphasized in practice.
Conclusions:
- Actual clinical practice reveals nuances in postoperative pain management not evident in other studies.
- Findings underscore the importance of effective communication and the practical application of non-pharmacologic pain relief by nurses.