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

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundNon-pharmacological therapies are the non-medicinal methods used in postoperative pain (POP) management by health care practitioners such as massage, positioning, breathing exercise, music therapy, and distraction. It has been discovered that therapies that are non-pharmacological for the relief of pain are effective with minimal side effects. Studies have also revealed that non-pharmacological interventions in the management of pain lessen or alter pain perception by decreasing intensity and intensifying the tolerance of pain. This study, therefore, seeks to determine how frequently non-pharmacological methods (NPMs) are used in the management of POP and the influence of these NPMs on patient satisfactionMethodsThis study was a descriptive cross-sectional design. A quantitative approach was utilized with a structured questionnaire to obtain responses from patients from October to December 2019. The study was conducted in the female and male surgical wards of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. 138 patients within the first 72 hours post-operative period who consented and fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. A convenience sampling method was used to collect the data. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used in analyzing the data.ResultsThe majority of the patients, 52.2% responded to using some form of (NPMs) for pain relief. The most widely used non-pharmacological method of pain relief was walking representing 79.2%, followed by relaxation 5 (6.8%), distraction 4 (5.6%), listening to music 3 (4.2%), deep breathing 2 (2.8%), and meditation 1 (1.4%). The male participants were observed to use more NPMs of pain relief as compared to the females. Most of the patients (51.4%) who used NPMs for their pain relief reported having their pain not relieved. A majority (90.6%) of the participants desired for more pain treatment. The type of surgery the patients underwent had a statistically significant negative correlation with the use of NPMs of pain relief (Spearman Correlation Coefficient = -0.233, p-value <0.05). A higher percentage (71%) of participants were highly satisfied with the overall pain treatment received.ConclusionNon-pharmacological management of POP have been proven to be efficient, inexpensive, and have little or no side effect on patients. There should be continuous education on non-pharmacological management of POP to nurses and other healthcare professionals to help promote the efficiency of intervening in postoperative pain with these methods.