Analysis of Nurses' Pain Assessment Records in Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of pain management, establish a pain profile, and reveal the current state of pain assessment after colorectal surgery. Materials and Methods: A retrospective and descriptive design was used. The research population included the records of patients hospitalized in the general surgery ICU of a hospital between November 2020 and November 2021 after colorectal surgery. The measures were a Descriptive Information Form and a Pain Evaluation Follow-up Form. Results: Patients’ mean age was 61.32±14.21 years. Males were 64.2%. Colon (65.9%) and rectal (34.1%) surgeries had been performed. Postoperative mean pain values were 2.84±1.79 at the 0th-2nd hours and 1.68±1.44 (0-4) at the 37th-48th hours. The values were significantly higher in patients without chronic diseases. Of the nurses, 94.7% used scales with proven validity and reliability, but there were no records about the pain’s location, character, duration, and factors that increased or decreased. Conclusions: Nurses’ records about pain management after colorectal surgery were missing. The records analyzed were not enough to determine the pain profile after colorectal surgery. The role of pain and analgesia records in effective pain management should be considered, and the management of the electronic record system should be supported.