• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.5-17
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of education regarding postoperative pain management provided for nurses as well as patients on related factors of pain management, including nurses' knowledge and attitude of postoperative pain, and the level of pain that patients felt after surgery. Method: A quasi-experimental research design was used in this research. Twenty-one nurses currently working in general surgery units and 32 patients who were taking on abdominal surgery in A university hospital were participated in this study. The three week-educational program of postoperative pain management including lecture, quiz, poster and discussion was provided for nurse participants. The postoperative pain management education for each patient was provided one day before his/her own operation for 20 minutes with the pamphlet developed by researchers. For assessing the effects, nurses' knowledge and attitude about pain management, patients' postoperative pain, pain control barriers, and satisfaction of pain management were measured. Results: The nurses' knowledge about pain management and the patients' satisfaction of pain management in the experimental group were higher than in the control group. The patients' postoperative pain in the experimental group was lower than in the control group. Conclusion: With the above results, the postoperative pain management education could be an effective nursing intervention for pain management of patients who were taking surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.188-200
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• 2024

This review explores the essential methodologies for effective postoperative pain management, focusing on the need for thorough pain assessment tools, as underscored in various existing guidelines. Herein, the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used pain scales for postoperative pain-the Visual Analog Scale, Numeric Rating Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, and Faces Pain Scale-are evaluated, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate assessment tools based on factors influencing their effectiveness in surgical contexts. By emphasizing the need to comprehend the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for these scales in evaluating new analgesic interventions and monitoring pain trajectories over time, this review advocates recognizing the limitations of common pain scales to improve pain assessment strategies, ultimately enhancing postoperative pain management. Finally, five recommendations for pain assessment in research on postoperative pain are provided: first, selecting an appropriate pain scale tailored to the patient group, considering the strengths and weaknesses of each scale; second, simultaneously assessing the intensity of postoperative pain at rest and during movement; third, conducting evaluations at specific time points and monitoring trends over time; fourth, extending the focus beyond the intensity of postoperative pain to include its impact on postoperative functional recovery; and lastly, interpreting the findings while considering the MCID, ensuring that it is clinically significant for the chosen pain scale. These recommendations broaden our understanding of postoperative pain and provide insights that contribute to more effective pain management strategies, thereby enhancing patient care outcomes.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.149-162
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• 2023

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a multifactorial condition that affects a significant proportion of patients undergoing surgery. The prevention and management of CPSP require the identification of preoperative risk factors to screen high-risk patients and establish appropriate perioperative pain management plans to prevent its development. Active postoperative pain management should be provided to prevent CPSP in patients with severe pain following surgery. These tasks have become important for perioperative team members in the management of CPSP. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on the role of perioperative team members in preventing and managing CPSP. Additionally, it highlights practical strategies that can be employed in clinical practice, covering the definition and risk factors for CPSP, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors, as well as a risk prediction model. The article also explores various treatments for CPSP, as well as preventive measures, including preemptive analgesia, regional anesthesia, pharmacological interventions, psychoeducational support, and surgical technique modification. This article emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive perioperative pain management plan that includes multidisciplinary interventions, using the transitional pain service as an example. By adopting a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, perioperative team members can improve patient outcomes, enhance patient satisfaction, and reduce healthcare costs. However, further research is necessary to establish targeted interventions to effectively prevent and manage CPSP.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.71-81
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to describe pediatric nurses' knowledge and attitude towards management of children's postoperative pain. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, the participants were 220 pediatric nurses who worked at a general hospital in Seoul. The survey questionnaires used to assess the nurses' knowledge and attitude regarding children's postoperative pain were developed for this study. Results: The average score for knowledge was 67.7 out of 100. The mean score for attitude was 72.5 out of 100. The factor related to the knowledge level was education for pain management. Moreover, age, working department, position, working experience, education level, and number of children were associated with the attitude. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested the need for a systematic education program for pain management of children in the postoperative condition.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 2019

Background Postoperative pain is one of the most common concerns of patients undergoing hair transplantation surgery. Because most patients are satisfied with the cosmetic improvement after transplantation, amelioration of postoperative pain would help to increase patient accessibility to hair restorative surgery and greatly impact patient satisfaction with the final cosmetic results. This study was performed to investigate postoperative pain after hair transplantation. Methods In total, 241 patients (202 who underwent follicular unit transplantation [FUT] and 39 who underwent follicular unit extraction [FUE]) were eligible for the study. Postoperative pain was evaluated on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale. The patients' medical records were retrospectively reviewed for information on the harvesting method, number of transplanted grafts, size of donor design, and laxity, elasticity, and glidability of the scalp in relation to postoperative pain. Results Postoperative pain after hair transplantation, assessed with the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale, seemed to provide very subjective results. None of the variables were correlated with postoperative pain in the FUT group. Such pain, however, tended to disappear by postoperative day 3. Patients in the FUE group experienced significantly less severe pain than those in the FUT group. Conclusions Postoperative pain was significantly less severe in patients whose donor hair was harvested by the FUE than FUT method. Postoperative pain had almost disappeared by postoperative day 3 in the FUT group, whereas only minimal pain was present even on postoperative day 1 in the FUE group.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.289-294
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• 2016

Background: Control of postoperative pain is an important aspect of postoperative patient management. Among the methods of postoperative pain control, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been the most commonly used. This study tested the convenience and safety of a PCA method in which the dose adjusted according to time. Methods: This study included 100 patients who had previously undergone orthognathic surgery, discectomy, or total hip arthroplasty, and wished to control their postoperative pain through PCA. In the test group (n = 50), the rate of infusion was changed over time, while in the control group (n = 50), drugs were administered at a fixed rate. Patients' pain scores on the visual analogue scale, number of rescue analgesic infusions, side effects, and patients' satisfaction with analgesia were compared between the two groups. Results: The patients and controls were matched for age, gender, height, weight, and body mass index. No significant difference in the mount of drug administered was found between the test and control groups at 0-24 h after the operation; however, a significant difference was observed at 24-48 h after the operation between the two groups. No difference was found in the postoperative pain score, number of side effects, and patient satisfaction between the two groups. Conclusions: Patient-controlled anesthesia administered at changing rates of infusion has similar numbers of side effects as infusion performed at a fixed rate; however, the former allows for efficient and safe management of postoperative pain even in small doses.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of preoperative pain management education on postoperative pain control in patients with uterine tumor using patient controlled analgesia. Methods: This study used non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Data were collected from September, 2008 to March, 2009 at one university hospital in Daegu, Korea. There were 60 participants, 30 in both the experimental and control group. The experimental group was given preoperative pain education using videos, leaflets, and a PCA model. Postoperative pain intensity, frequency of the PCA button being pressed, and doses of additional analgesics were observed through 24 hours postoperative and knowledge of pain and attitude about the use of the pain medicine were measured at 3 days postoperative. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, repeat measured ANOVA, and Bonferroni methods. Results: There were no significant differences in the postoperative pain level between the experimental and control group. Postoperative frequency of the PCA button pressed, doses of additional analgesics, pain knowledge and attitude about the use of the pain medicine of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Conclusion: Pain management education is an effective nursing intervention for pain control after surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.354-362
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• 1996

Background: We started postoperative pain management service using an intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA, PCA), which is known as convenient and effective analgesic method. In this report, we describe the efficacy and safety of PCA and the experience of developing an acute pain service to treat postoperative pain using a PCA. Methods: Practices of an acute pain service were started at a ward for general surgery after preparation of the standardized protocols for PCA. In each patient, PCA was connected following administration of initial loading doses of analgesics at recovery room after operation. All patients were checked by acute pain service team once or twice daily. The scope of acute pain service was gradually spread to other departments such as orthopedic, thoracic, obstetric and gynecologic departments by requests of patients or surgeons. We managed 1,590 patients during first 22 months. among them, nine hundred seventy two cases were prospectively evaluated for their analgesis efficacy and side effects of PCA. Results: The number of patients was increased day by day. the most common type of operation was gastrectomy (21.6%). Commonly used analgesics were nalbuphine (59%) and morphine (37%). The mean duration of PCA attachment was 3.3 days. The degree of analgesia on operation day was good in 44.8% and tolerable in 52.6% of patients. Only 3.9% of patients complained severe pain during their postoperative periods. One elderly patient experienced respiratory depression (0.06%) owing to accidental misuse of PCA by his relatives. Overall patient's satisfaction was over 93%. Conclusion: According to our experiences, we conclude that PCA is an effective, relatively safe and highly satisfactory method for postoperative pain management. Because of these advantages of PCA, the creation of our acute pain service using a PCA was successful and expanded rapidly.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.125-135
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify pain intensity according to activities over postoperative days and to identify factors of patient satisfaction with pain management after abdominal surgery. Methods: The subjects were 123 patients who were admitted at a general surgical ward and had abdominal surgery from Mar. 2005 to June 2005. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 12.0 program. Results: The average postoperative pain scores were 6.13 at POD 1, 5.46 at POD 2, and 4.22 at POD 3. In stepwise multiple regression analysis a total of 40% of variance in satisfaction with pain management was accounted for by pain intensity on POD 3 at rest (29.4%) and attitude toward using pain medicine (6.6%), and side effects of pain medicine (4.0%). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, patients had inadequate pain management after abdominal surgery. Therefore, nurses need to provide educational programs focused on changing attitudes toward using pain medicine, to reduce side effects of pain medicine, and to develop nursing intervention for relieving pain.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2020

This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study to identify the perception of post-operative pain management by nursing college students. The study involved 171 nursing college students with clinical practice experience. The data collection was made using structured questionnaires from March to June 2019. The results showed 65.1 percent general knowledge, 58.0 percent knowledge of analgesics and 81.9 percent attitude toward pain management. Pain knowledge and attitude were higher for pain training and men. The general knowledge score for pain showed a positive correlation between knowledge of analgesics, attitudes to pain management. We hope that the results of this study will be used to develop a postoperative pain management program by showing the need for systematic training programs for nursing college students and continuous training for postoperative pain management.