Post-Operative Pain and Analgesia at the University of Gondar Hospital

Background: Post-operative pain has humanitarian, physiological and economic implications. So far the severity of post-operative pain and the effectiveness of analgesic prescribing has not been investigated in the University of Gondar previously.  

Methods: Baseline data for pain in the post-operative period was gathered from 51 patients in November and December 2009, using a numerical scale or visual-analogue scale (VAS) according to patient ability. Analgesic prescription and administration information was collected for all patients, allowing the relationship between pain severity and analgesic practice to be elucidated.  

Results: Over half (54.9%) of the patients had moderate or severe pain at rest, whilst nearly three-quarters (72.6%) had these levels of dynamic pain. No patients were prescribed paracetamol. Overall, 56.9% of the patients were prescribed a NSAID and 23.5% had received it in the preceding 8 hours. These rates did not vary significantly with pain severity. Only 3.9% of patients had opioid analgesia prescribed.

Discussion: Current analgesic practice could be improved. Recommendations are made to introduce a drug prescription and administration chart to the hospital, with training for the relevant staff. Future re-auditing of analgesic use may help to improve practice.