ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives. Preoperative counseling is effective to foster early postoperative mobilization that reduces pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. This study aims at evaluating the effect of preoperative counseling regarding postoperative mobilization and its impact on reducing pulmonary complications. Design and Setting. Randomized control trial was conducted at the Department of Surgery of a tertiary care hospital, Karachi. Patients and Materials. Patients who underwent abdominal surgery and met inclusion criteria were recruited. All participants were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received information about the surgery and Group I received additional counseling for postoperative mobilization. All patients were encouraged for postoperative mobilization. Scholes et al. criteria were used to evaluate postoperative pulmonary complications. Results. In total 232 participants were recruited and divided into two groups. There was no significant difference in participants' age (P = 0.79), duration of surgery (P = 0.5), and pain score (P = 0.1) of both groups. However, significant difference was identified in mobilization from bed to chair and mobilization for >10 minutes. Patients in Group I experienced less pulmonary complications in comparison with Group II.
