Evaluation of Postoperative Pain Severity and Rescue Analgesic Administration in General Surgery Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

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Abstract
Aim: This study was conducted to examine postoperative pain severity and the time-dependent pattern of rescue analgesic administration, and to identify factors associated with this pattern in elective general surgery patients. Materials and Methods: This prospective descriptive cohort study included a total of 369 elective general surgery patients evaluated between February 2022 and January 2023 in a tertiary university hospital. Pain severity (Visual Analogue Scale) and rescue (additional) analgesic administration were recorded at postoperative 0-2, 3-4, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-24 hours. Demographic and clinical factors associated with pain intensity and opioid use were analyzed. Results: Mean pain severity significantly decreased from 0-2 hours to 13-24 hours (2.39 ± 1.75 vs. 1.69 ± 2.17, p<0.001). Pain was lower among women at 0-2 hours and among older adults (≥65 years) and those with chronic disease at 3-4 hours. Male patients were more likely to receive opioids across the early postoperative period, and opioid use at 3-4 hours was higher in patients without chronic disease. Conclusions: During the first 24 postoperative hours, pain severity decreased while rescue analgesic administration increased over time. Rescue analgesic patterns were influenced by age, sex, and chronic disease status. Although low pain scores suggest generally adequate pain management, the increasing need for rescue analgesia indicates that routine practice is open to improvement. These findings support structured pain assessment, reassessment and individualized, multimodal postoperative pain management in surgical nursing practice.

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