title: POSTOPERATIVE PAIN: MANAGEMENT AND DOCUMENTATION BY IRANIAN NURSES.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain is one of the most common symptoms experienced by patients after surgeries. Inadequate postoperative pain management is an international problem and the need to improve its management is well documented. The aim of the study was to assess nursing reports related to the patients' pain intensity and quality, concomitant symptoms, use of scales in pain assessment, and compliance with the national guideline after surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a retrospective cohort; samples were nurse records of patients who had elective surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 6% of the patients' pain records included pain intensity which was not measured with standard scales. More than half of all injections were opioid analgesic which is in contrast to the guidelines of the Iranian Ministry of Health. Pain assessment was higher in women and by nurses with more than 15 years of working experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  to conclude, the patients' pain was not assessed properly in terms of intensity, quality, and associated symptoms. Therefore, training and motivating nurses is very important in this context and should be incorporated in nurses' academic and continuous educational courses.
authors.affiliation: Razi Nursing and Midwifery College Kerman, Iran; Psychiatric Nursing Lecturer, Faculty Member of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran.
authors.forename: Foozieh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rafati
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Nursing, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soltaninejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious and Tropical Disease Research Center, HSR Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Aflatoonian
authors.affiliation: Msc Critical Care Nursing Lecturer, Faculty Member of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mashayekhi
keywords: Nursing; Pain; Patient Records; Postoperative