Pain as one of the main problems of people treated with surgery

Abstract

Admission. Pain is one of the most common feelings in a person's life. Properly conducted analgesic therapy is a fundamental right of the patient.

Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the degree and type of pain experienced in adults treated surgically.

Materials and methods. The paper uses the method of a diagnostic survey, thanks to which material for research was obtained. The research was carried out with the use of an own-made questionnaire, the VAS scale and the shortened version of the McGill questionnaire.

Results. 100% of the study population experienced pain following surgery. The percentage data show that the patients currently most often experienced moderate pain – 45,0% and mild pain – 37,0%. 8,0% of patients described the pain as severe or absent. Very severe pain occurred in 2,0% of the respondents. The current pain ailments ranged from 0 to 9 points, averaging M = 4,28 points with SD = 0,216 points, and pain was most often assessed on a scale from 0 to 10 at the level of 5, as indicated by 21,0% of the respondents. Women significantly more often than men experienced pain during the last week measured with the McGill scale (p = 0,001). Sex also differentiated the intensity of the current pain (p = 0,012), which was significantly higher in women than in men. The sex of the respondents also differentiated the occurrence and intensity of sensory pain (p = 0,010), affective pain (p-0,004) and overall pain (p = 0,005) during the last week. It has also been shown that the day after surgery significantly differentiates the intensity of current pain on the McGill scale (p = 0,030) and VAS (p = 0,017). In both scales, this pain was more common in patients on the 2nd, 1st and 3rd day after surgery than in patients on the fourth and later days after surgery.