Pain Management After Laparotomy (Post-operative Care)

Abstract

This bachelor's thesis focused on postoperative pain control after laparotomy with special emphasis on postoperative care. Research further investigated the nurse's role in post-operative care with special regard to vital responsibilities such as measurement of pain, implementation of evidence-based practice measures, and patient education. There was a discussion of some measurement tools for pain, such as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Research further described new objective measurement technology. This thesis aimed to identify, through an extensive review of the literature, factors influencing pain control in the post-laparotomy period as well as in post-operative recovery. The objective of the thesis was to increase awareness of postlaparotomy pain control as well as post-operative recovery for nursing students at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. We employed a descriptive literature review to analyze existing literature from databases such as PubMed, Ebscohost, CINAHL, and Science Direct. We employed 10 papers that have been published from the year 2012 to 2023. We employed content analysis for the data. The results of the research concluded that multimodal analgesia that includes NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and regional anesthesia has significantly reduced postoperative pain. Additionally, the research found that non-drug approaches like music therapy and early mobilization work well with drug-based approaches to reduce pain after surgery. There is also emphasis on how much it is necessary to have specific measures of pain control that address specific patients' requirements while advocating for interdisciplinary practice to advance post-op care and patient outcomes.

Keywords: pain management, laparotomy (abdominal surgery), pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, post-operative care.