Postoperative Pain Care in Nurse Practice in Latvia. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

The theme of the author’s dissertation – "Post-operational pain management in nursing practice in Latvia". The aim of the study was to clarify and assess responsibilities of nurses and appropriate professional competency in biopsychosocial care of postoperative pains. Several tasks were fulfilled within the framework of this study: the author describes post-operational pains and identifies pain influencing factors in surgical wards in Latvia, checks out utilization of evaluation methods of pain assessment and pain influencing factors in nurse clinical practice, identifies and analyzes nurse duties or responsibilities in assessment of post-operational pains in post-operational patients and implementation of nursing in order to evaluate nurse actions in post-operational pain nursing in connection with the obtained professional education and work experience. In literature survey are analyzed theoretical cognitions about post-operational pain nursing and duties of nurses in multidisciplinary team work, summarized information about nurse duties and tasks in securing of post-operational pain patient’ nursing by assessing pain evaluation, planning nursing, realization and assessment of taken measures. In order to achieve the aim and to prove the study hypothesis are used qualitative and quantitative research methods, employing nurse, patient and physician pain assessment self-esteem enquiries utilizing numerical pain rating scale and analyze of nursing records. Research sampling performs 1495 respondents, involving 730 nurses, 602 patients and 163 physicians. Study analyses data from nine multiprofile hospitals and nursing documentation from regional hospital surgical and intensive care wards. Obtained results gave evidence that main measures in pain management are appointed medical therapy and insurance of physical and psychological comfort. Whereas in assessment and performance of nursing records are recognized imperfection in organization of nursing as well as in motivation of nurses. In the first post-operational day 44,7% patients feel severe and marked pains. Survey data confirm that exist several important pain influencing statistically mutual correlations. Exists several important statistical distinctions between the nurse duties and factors identifying professional responsibilities, as well as education and professional experience. In doctorate work are included 40 tables, utilized 305 literature sources. Scope of the survey without appendixes are 159 pages, appendixes consist of 14 pages.