Pain, health-related quality of life and health care utilization after inpatient surgery: a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about pain-related outcomes in surgical inpatients after discharge from the hospital. An ongoing risk and outcomes monitoring system would provide valuable feedback to improve the quality of patient care.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present pilot study was to describe postoperative pain, medication use, health care utilization and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) immediately and four weeks after surgery; merge clinically captured data with Web-based follow-up data; and examine patients' willingness to complete Web-based health questionnaires.


METHODS
One hundred two consecutive surgical inpatients were approached for participation. Perioperative data were abstracted from the acute pain management service clinical database and linked to follow-up data captured four weeks postoperatively.


RESULTS
Follow-up questionnaires were completed by 88 participants. Clinical assessment data were successfully linked to Web-based follow-up data. Average pain intensity (3.7) four weeks following discharge fell just short of the acute pain management service active pain score of 3.9. At four weeks, all 88 participants reported significantly impaired HRQOL, 36 were still taking pain medications and 15 had visited an emergency room. Two-thirds of the participants had access to the Internet at home and approximately one-half were willing to complete on-line health questionnaires.


CONCLUSIONS
The study indicates that it is feasible to link clinical and research data, and shows a significant burden of pain and reduced HRQOL in the weeks following discharge. This approach to converting clinically captured data into meaningful information about surgical outcomes is valuable in the development of an ongoing risk and outcomes monitoring system.
VanDenKerkhof
Elizabeth G
EG
Department of Anesthesiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. ev5@post.qeensu.ca
Hopman
Wilma M
WM
Towheed
Tanveer
T
Wilson
Rosemary
R
Murdoch
John
J
Rimmer
Michael
M
Stutzman
Sherri Schmidt
SS
Tod
Debbie
D
Dagnone
Vico
V
Goldstein
David H
DH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires