title: Postoperative Discomfort After Abdominal Surgery: An Observational Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients who have surgery may experience distress in the following days. Although postoperative distress is a common experience, few studies have analyzed these patient complaints in-depth. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the potential causes of patients' discomfort after abdominal surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective and observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (N = 131) were asked to rate their discomfort twice using a list of nine items in the first 6 to 8 hours after surgery and at 24 hours after its completion. Participants were asked to score intensity from 0 (absent) to 10 (unbearable).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main causes of discomfort at 24 hours were pain (82%), movement restriction (79%), and dry mouth (70%). These items also had the highest scores (by gender, women scored higher than did men in insomnia, dry mouth, and abdominal distension). No significant differences were observed between patients who had undergone open or laparoscopic surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that pain, movement restriction, and dry mouth were the most disturbing causes of discomfort. Therefore, symptoms other than pain should be considered to improve the well-being of patients after abdominal surgery.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Robleda
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roche-Campo
authors.forename: Virtudes
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Ignasi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gich
authors.forename: Josep-E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Baños
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D014987:Xerostomia; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: abdominal surgery; postoperative care unit; postoperative discomfort; postoperative well-being