The gap between saying and doing in postoperative pain management

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Pain Management
• Surgical Care

Background:

• Postoperative pain management is often inadequate.
• Nurses are crucial in assessing, treating, and evaluating postoperative pain.
• Limited studies combine observation and interviews on nursing pain management practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' contributions to postoperative pain management in surgical settings.
• To identify barriers to effective postoperative pain alleviation.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study design.
• Qualitative research principles applied.
• Observations and in-depth interviews with nine nurses across three surgical wards in two hospitals.

Main Results:

• A key finding was a discrepancy between nurses' stated actions and their actual practices in pain management.
• This gap was reduced when nurses adopted a more active approach.

Conclusions:

• A gap exists between nurses' reported and actual practices in postoperative pain management.
• An active nursing approach to patient pain appears to improve pain alleviation.
• Enhanced nursing education and practice are needed to bridge this gap, emphasizing knowledge, empathy, and communication.