Subject(s)
Abdomen/surgery , Pain, Postoperative/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Cesarean Section/adverse effects , Female , Guyana/epidemiology , Humans , Hysterectomy/adverse effects , Incidence , Middle Aged , Pain Measurement , Pain, Postoperative/epidemiology , Pain, Postoperative/nursing , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the adequacy and efficacy of postoperative pain management. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. SETTING: The Georgetown and New Amsterdam Public Hospitals, Guyana. SUBJECTS: Two hundred consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence or absence of significant postoperative pain during the first 24 hours. RESULTS: All the patients experienced pain postoperatively. Sixty one percent of patients considered their pain severe, 30 percent rated it moderate and only 9 percent mild. Reasons for this deficiency of care are partly attributable to the patients themselves and also the health care staff. CONCLUSIONS: Postopertive pain is poorly managed in our general hospitals. (AU)
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Child , Middle Aged , Adolescent , Laparotomy/adverse effects , Pain, Postoperative/prevention & control , Pain, Postoperative/psychology , Patient Satisfaction , Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use , Guyana , Hospitals, Public , Medical Audit , Meperidine/therapeutic use , Pain Measurement , Pain, Postoperative/diagnosis , Pain, Postoperative/etiology , Prospective Studies , Surveys and Questionnaires , Severity of Illness Index , Time FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the adequacy and efficacy of postoperative pain management. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. SETTING: The Georgetown and New Amsterdam Public Hospitals, Guyana. SUBJECTS: Two hundred consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence or absence of significant postoperative pain during the first 24 hours. RESULTS: All the patients experienced pain postoperatively. Sixty one per cent of patients considered their pain severe, 30% rated it moderate and only 9% mild. Reasons for this deficiency of care are partly attributable to the patients themselves and also the health care staff. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain is poorly managed in our general hospitals.
