title: Effectiveness of the Nursing Methodology in Pain Management after Major Ambulatory Surgery.
abstract: Patients undergoing a surgical intervention for the first time are unfamiliar with the perioperative context, and they usually have no knowledge of postoperative pain management. In the preoperative circuit, there is no time to educate the patient in these terms. The professional profile of nurses allows this need to be addressed, and provides a regulated language to evaluate their effectiveness. This study evaluates the effectiveness of nursing counseling during a preoperative consultation for the management of postoperative pain and its effects on patient satisfaction at hospital discharge. This quasi-experimental study assesses the efficacy of preoperative nursing intervention in two groups, control (n = 185) and intervention (n = 195). Those in the intervention group attended a preoperative session during which they received information from nursing staff and took part in activities to learn about postoperative pain management and the perioperative circuit. Control group patients underwent the standard preoperative protocol. Data were compiled from January to December 2009. Statistically significant differences existed between the two groups regarding postoperative pain (visual analogue scale >3, 20.5% versus 11.5%; p = .023), patient satisfaction (87.1% versus 78.7%; p = .041), and surgical wound complications (13.9% versus 5.5%; p = .010). The results confirm the benefits of applying the nursing methodology in preoperative clinics.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Outpatient Department, Benalmádena Comprehensive Hospital, Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: helena.porras@gmail.com.
authors.forename: María Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Porras-González
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Barón-López
authors.affiliation: Head of Surgery, Benalmádena Comprehensive Hospital, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: García-Luque
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel María
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Morales-Gil
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000451:nursing*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection; D055815:Young Adult