مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Comparison of Postoperative Pain Intensity with Four Different Pain Scale

Abstract :

Objective: The study aimed at comparing postoperative pain intensity with four different scales and examining its influence on some activities of daily-life. Methods: A hundred and thirty one patients who had appendectomy, transurethral resection, herniated disk, open reduction operation under general anaesthesia between the dates 20 December 2009 and 20 May 2010 comprise the samples in this descriptive study. The patients between the ages 18-65, communicative, with the ASA scores of I, II or III, staying in hospital for three days were included in the study. In data collection, Visual Analog, Face Pain, Numerical Scale, Verbal Descriptive were utilized.Percentile distribution, t-test, variance analysis, Kruskal Wallis and Pearson’s Correlation Test were used in data evaluation. Results: When the pain score averages were compared between them during the repeated measurement of the scales, it was detected that averages were decreasing gradually in each scale and the difference between them was statistically important (VAS p= .000; FPS p= .000; NRS p= .000; VDS p= .000). The highest correlation between the scales were VAS - FPS (r= .768) on day 0; VDS – NRS (r= .767) on day 1; VAS- NRS (r= .867) on day 2; VAS – VDS and FPS – NRS (r= .935) on day 3. However, there were statistical differences as well as similarities when the patients’ descriptive qualities and pain score averages were compared through the four scales.Conclusion: Consequently pain intensity was decreasing day by day in each scale and there were correlations among four scales.Thus, it can be recommended that the studies in which descriptive characteristics were examined should be conducted to determine measurement tools to be used to evaluate pain intensity.