[Approaches taken by nurses in treating postoperative pain].
OBJECTIVE
Surgery is recognized as an important cause of pain. Expression of pain differs according to age, developmental stage, previous pain experiences, and other modifying environmental factors. The degree of postoperative pain should be reduced using different techniques, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological. This study aimed to determine the effects of various actions taken by nurses for the purpose of pain management.


METHODS
One hundred eighty-nine nurses working in the surgical ward were included in this study. A questionnaire was used to investigate demographic data and the actions taken by the nurses in the study group to alleviate pain.


RESULTS
The results showed that 146 of 189 nurses (77.2%) administered analgesic medication more often than employing other techniques for pain management.


CONCLUSIONS
The other applications in pain management included patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), massage, visual analog scale (VAS), and teaching relaxation techniques, helping with mobilization, and assessing vital signs.
Ay
Fatma
F
Istanbul University, Bakirkoy Health School, Istanbul, Turkey. fatmaay@yahoo.com
Alpar
Sule Ecevit
SE
D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000700:Analgesics