Nurses' reassessment of postoperative pain after analgesic administration

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To identify when and how nurses reassess patients' pain after analgesic administration in the postoperative context. METHODS: Fifty-two nurses were observed caring for postoperative patients (N=364) in 2 surgical settings in a major metropolitan hospital. Seventy-four observation periods of 2 hours duration were studied. The research assistant observed nurses' activities in caring for the allocated patients', detailing behavioral and verbal responses onto audiotape. RESULTS: Of the 316 pain activities that occurred in 74 observation periods, 14 (4.4%) were reassessments after analgesic administration. Four themes were evident from the 14 reassessments: opportunistic reassessment,..