Pharmacological Post-Operative Pain Management : a Guide for Nursing Students

Abstract

Post-operative pain management is an important topic in nursing. Surgical wounds tend to be very painful, and appropriate care is vital. This thesis explores topics such as surgery, pain assessment, and pain management from the nurse’s viewpoint.

This functional thesis was implemented as an educational medication list, with common post-operative pain medicine listed according to name, drug classification, administration route, and side effects. The created medication list can be used as a self-study tool to further one’s knowledge in post-operative analgesia.

The medication list was evaluated by fellow nursing students, using the Webropol survey questionnaire. The survey results were presented and analyzed in this thesis. The medication list was perceived generally well -- easy to understand, visually accessible, and relevant. Though the pool of respondents was fairly small, the helpfulness of the medication list could warrant the same or similar study carried out in the future with new medicines and a larger pool of health care student respondents