Postoperative pain and analgesic prescription in Khartoum: evaluation of current practice

Ninety eight general surgical patients were studied prospectively to determine the degree and severity of postoperative pain during the first 18 hrs following surgery. In 93% of the patients there was some degree of postoperative pain and in 64.4% the pain was moderate, severe or intolerable. Only 64.2% of the patients complained of pain to the medical staff, the remainder kept silent despite their sufferings. Pethidine was the most commonly administered analgesic and the dose per patient was 1.2. More diligent approach to the problem of postoperative pain is needed. Adequate dosage and more frequent administrations of analgesic should be given to post-operative patients. Moreover, patients need to be taught that intolerable pain is not an acceptable postoperative sequelae in exchange for cure.