Patients' satisfaction with the implementation of the concept of pain as the fifth vital sign to control postoperative pain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is an increasing concern of health institutions with patients' satisfaction. This study aimed at evaluating patients' satisfaction in the postoperative period of a medium-sized hospital in terms of controlling pain and implementing the concept of pain as the fifth vital sign, faced to the importance of the theme and the scarcity of prospective studies on the subject. METHOD: Open randomized clinical trial. Postoperative patients were divided in two groups. In the group with intervention, pain scales were made available to the assisting team and verbally informed when applied. For the group with no intervention, there were no pain scales. Satisfaction measurements were evaluated once a day until, at the utmost, the fifth postoperative day. RESULTS: There has been predominance of females (83.5%) and mean sample age was 36.7 years. Most surgeries were C-sections (57.1%). Patients referred pain in 75.6% of measurements and considered it from moderate to severe in 23% of measurements. As to satisfaction, most (54%) have considered pain control excellent. In comparing groups there has been no significant difference in the level of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: There has been no difference in patients' satisfaction when pain as the fifth vital sign was implemented. The study suggests that several components contribute to patients' satisfaction, although we have just evaluated the physiological aspect of pain.