Post-operative pain prevalence, predictors, management practices and satisfaction among operated cases at a Regional Referral Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Post-operative pain is an essential component of good surgical patient care plan. In developing countries however, the prevalence of post-operative pain is relatively very high and pain control strategies are not very promising. The objective of this study was to assess post-operative pain prevalence, predictors, management practices and satisfaction among operated cases at a regional referral hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Methods: Prospective hospital based descriptive observational study of operated cases at a Temeke Regional Referral Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data was collected using a pre-constructed questionnaire and a visual pain intensity scale.Results: A total of 136 patients were recruited with mean age of 37.1±15 years (range= 14–80 years). The prevalence of pain was 100%, 83.9%, and 36% at 12, 24 and 48 hours, respectively. At 12 hours moderate to worst pain was reported in 95.6% of cases. The main prediction factor for severe to worst pain at 12 hours was orthopaedic procedures (p=0.05, AOR=3.456), while widow/divorced marital status and female sex were negatively correlated to severity of pain (p=0.005, AOR=0.0230 and p=0.000, AOR=0.034, respectively). The commonest drugs prescribed post-operatively were injection pethidine (50.5%) and tramadol (48.9%) and oral tramadol (47.6%). Pain management satisfaction rate was paradoxically high (74.3%), with male sex being the main predictor.Conclusion: The prevalence of early post-operative pain is very high. Male sex and orthopaedic procedures are associated with severe pain. Surgeons therefore need to prioritize analgesic prescription at early hours following operation to minimize pain and suffering to patients focusing on orthopaedic procedures.

Assessment of acute postoperative pain management and associated factors after elective surgery among adult surgical patients: a prospective cross-sectional study

“…Patients who underwent general surgery and urology 3.602 times (AOR=3.602, CI: 1.107–11.727) more likely to report moderate to severe pain than patient who underwent gynecologic procedure. This finding was against the study in Tanzania in which orthopedic procedures were found to be associated with moderate to severe pain (AOR=3.456, P =0.05)36. The possible explanation for this variation was the majority of orthopedics cases in our study had regional anesthesia for their POPM.…”

The magnitude and associated factors of post-operative pain among adult patients

“…It might be due to the different time's initial visit of patients [ 33 ]. The scheduling of evaluation of the patients postoperatively stated by the majority of the studies was different from our study, the majority of the studies showed that the first assessment was done at 12 h 24 h, and 48 h postoperatively [ 36 , 37 ]. While our study first assessed the patient at 2 h, postoperatively, this could also explain the differences between the results.…”

Patient satisfaction in the use of non-pharmacological therapies in the management of postoperative pain: a study in a tertiary hospital, Ghana

“…Globally the prevalence of POP differs among studies. For instance, the American Pain Society suggests a prevalence of more than 80% with 75% reporting moderate to severe pain [4]. Studies in Sub-Saharan Africa reveal that POP has been undertreated and the burden of POP ranges from 40 to 95% [5,6].…”