[Nursing educational intervention for the management of postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery]

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention of perioperative nursing by providing graphic material for the management of postoperative pain in patients operated on for hernia in an Ambulatory Surgery Unit (ASU).

Method: A quasi-experimental (non-randomised) study, with a control group with patients undergoing hernia between July 2006 and June 2007 and an intervention group with patients treated between July 2007 and June 2008. Both groups were given the same training on the surgical and postoperative recommendations for perioperative nursing clinics. The intervention group was reinforced with the provision of information in graphic form. The data was collected using a questionnaire at admission and phone call within 24 hours postoperative. Pain measurement was made with the visual analogue scale / verbal numerical rating scale (VAS/VNRS).

Results: A total 205 patients were included in the control group and 292 in the intervention group. In the bivariate analysis, the percentage of patients with VAS >3 was 23.9% for the control group and 15.1% for the intervention group. In the multivariate analysis, the variables associated with postoperative pain were: low age, female sex, mobility and walking problems, and lack of knowledge about post-discharge home-care guidelines.

Conclusions: Nursing educational intervention with the provision of graphic material, suggests that it may reduce the individual's perception of postoperative pain, decrease the percentage of patients with mobility and walking problems, and improve compliance and adherence to treatment.