Effect of an early mobilisation programme on pain intensity after laparoscopic surgery: a randomised clinical trial

Pain is a common complication after laparoscopic surgery. This study aimed to examine the effect of an early mobilisation programme on postoperative pain intensity after laparoscopic surgery.

A randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted on 80 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran. The patients were randomly allocated to intervention (n=40) and a control (n=40) group. In the intervention group, an early mobilisation programme was implemented in two rounds. The patient's perceived pain was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale 15 min before and 30 min after each round of early mobilisation. Data were analysed through the independent samples t, χ² and Fisher's exact tests and the repeated measures analysis.

The repeated measures analysis showed that the mean pain scores have been decreased over time (F=98.88, p<0.001). Considering the observed interaction between time and the intervention, the t test was used for pairwise comparisons and showed that the mean pain score was not significantly different between the two groups in 15 min before the first round of early mobilisation (p=0.95). However, the mean pain in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group in all subsequent measurements (p<0.05).

Early mobilisation programmes such as the one implemented in the current study are easy and inexpensive and can be implemented safely for the reduction of pain after laparoscopic surgeries.