Investigating non-pharmacological management for postoperative pain in a surgical setting
Creators: name: Duffy, Andrew
Publisher: name: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: non-pharmacological therapy
subject: NPT
subject: post-operative pain
subject: pain management
subject: nurse perception
subject: Nursing
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Background: Pain represents a considerable health burden both internationally and domestically within Australia. Despite this prevalent health concern, there is much contention regarding the definition of pain. Due to this, many refer to the taxonomy of pain to better characterise and define pain based on its type and nature. This research considers acute post-operative pain which is characterised by its duration of pain symptoms and its aetiology. Two broad treatment domains are identified for acute post-operative pain: pharmacological therapies (PTs) and non-pharmacological therapies (NPTs). Despite domestic and international guidelines that recommend the use of NPTs conjunctively for pain management and despite a variety of studies demonstrating effective pain attenuation, these are often not considered in supporting surgery-specific pain management plans. However, there is scant literature to review the perception of Australian health professionals regarding the use of NPTs in surgical settings.
description: Research question and aims: This study aims to explore Registered Nurses’ (RNs’) perceptions regarding NPTs in a surgical setting and identify factors that might influence its use. Therefore, the proposed research questions are:
description: 1. How do RNs perceive non-pharmacological therapies for post-operative pain?
description: 2. What factors influence the utilisation of NPTs for post-operative pain management?
description: Methods: This research utilised a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore RNs’ perceptions regarding the use of non-pharmacological therapies in a surgical setting. Eight Registered Nurses within Australia participated in semi-structured interviews to discuss their perceptions. Thematic analysis was used to explore major and minor themes from these discussions.
description: Findings: Eleven themes and 16 subthemes emerged from this research. These themes were 1) Nurse values; 2) Nurse experience; 3) NPT learning through undergraduate education; 4) Staffing and time; 5) Poor in-service education; 6) Resource management; 7) Impacts of Covid-19; 8) Pharmaceutical colonisation; 9) Old versus young; 10) Healthcare culture; 11) Pain literacy. Subthemes were identified within these themes and informed the study’s conclusions. Conclusion: This study shows that a there is a range of factors that influence NPT use for post-operative pain management in Australian RNs. The influencing factors are presented and discussed at the macro-level of such as undergraduate education; at the meso-level such as organisational barriers such as time and resources; and at the micro-level such as RN values and experiences. This study provides new understandings and insights of this phenomenon of how Australian RNs perceive NPS for post-operative pain management and what factors might influence its use. Further research is recommended to investigate the influencing factors at each level of consideration.