Outcomes and outcome measures utilised in randomised controlled trials of postoperative caesarean delivery pain: a scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundInadequately treated postoperative pain following caesarean delivery can delay recovery and the ability to care for a newborn. Effectiveness studies of interventions to treat postoperative caesarean delivery pain measure different outcomes, limiting data pooling for meta-analysis. We performed a comprehensive review of existing outcomes with the aim of recommending core outcomes for future research. MethodsA scoping review to identify all outcomes reported in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical trial registries of interventions to treat or prevent postoperative caesarean delivery pain, with postoperative pain as a primary outcome measure. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, LILACS, Embase, CDSR and CRCT for studies from May 2016 to 2021. Outcomes were extracted and frequencies tabulated. ResultsNinety RCTs and 11 trial registries were included. In total, 392 outcomes (375 inpatient and 17 outpatient) were identified and categorised. The most reported outcome domain was analgesia (n = 242/375, 64.5%), reported in 96% of inpatient studies, with analgesic consumption accounting for 108/375, 28.8% of analgesia outcomes. The second most common domain was pain intensity (n = 120/375, 32%), reported in 97% of inpatient studies, using the visual analogue scale (68/120, 59%) and the numerical reporting scale (37/120, 25%). Maternal and neonatal adverse effects accounted for 65/375 (17.3%) and 19/375 (5.1%) of inpatient outcomes, respectively. ConclusionsOutcomes reported in RCTs for postoperative caesarean delivery pain vary widely. The results of this review suggest that standardisation is needed to promote research efficiency and aid future meta-analyses to identify optimal postoperative caesarean delivery pain management.