Key result
Retrospective chart review revealed that postoperative pain documentation is poor and that PRN prescribing trends may hinder pre-emptive analgesia administration.
Observational
No
The study highlights poor post-operative pain documentation and suggests that PRN prescribing practices may impede effective pain management.
The report of the joint working party of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Pain after Surgery, raised many questions in relation to the way pain is managed after surgery. This report questioned many of the existing practices of pain control and highlighted the need for the development of regular pain assessment. The report raised questions regarding PRN (pro-re nata, as needed) prescribing and reinforced the importance of the role of the nurse. This study reviews the way pain is managed in this hospital with regard to analgesia prescribing and analgesia administration trends as well as the documentation of pain. The study was conducted by retrospective review of randomly selected patient charts. The results of this study conclude that documentation of pain following surgery is poor, and needs improvement. Existing prescription trends, in particular PRN prescribing, may be hindering both good practice and the pre-emptive administration of analgesia.
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Kathleen Mac Lellan (1997) conducted an observational in Postoperative pain. PRN analgesia prescribing and administration was evaluated on Documentation of pain and analgesia prescribing trends. Retrospective chart review revealed that postoperative pain documentation is poor and that PRN prescribing trends may hinder pre-emptive analgesia administration.
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