Quality of reporting electrophysical resources for post-cesarean pain relief: A scoping review

Cesarean delivery often results in postoperative pain. Electrophysical resources have been explored for pain relief, yet understanding the characteristics of women and clinical contexts is essential for generalizability. The quality of intervention descriptions can influence reproducibility and practical application.

To verify the characteristics of the women and clinical contexts in which electrophysical resources for post-cesarean pain relief are tested and to assess the quality of intervention descriptions.

This scoping review based on the PRISMA for Scoping Reviews that included studies about electrophysical resources for post-cesarean pain relief. It analyzed the characteristics of the participants, clinical contexts and integrity of intervention by Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR). Analysis was performed independently by two authors, who summarized the results descriptively and through TIDieR scores.

Sixteen studies were included. Only 18.7% reported participants' education levels, and none presented data on ethnicity. TENS was the most used electrophysical resource, applied in 75% of the studies, and most contexts were hospital-based. Information on adverse effects was missing in 43.7% of studies, and only 25% assessed women's satisfaction. The mean TIDieR score was 13.8 (± 2.1) out of a maximum of 24 items. Items on modifications, adherence, and fidelity were not reported in any study.

The studies provided limited descriptions about participant's characteristics, and did not provide information about adverse effects or satisfaction with the treatment. The description of the interventions lacked sufficient detail to allow for full replication, particularly regarding modifications, adherence, and fidelity of the protocols.