Assessment of Postoperative Pain Management Among Patients Who Underwent Abdominal Surgery

Abstract

Background: Postoperative pain is major clinical practice concern, especially in abdominal surgery where improper treatment may result in slow recovery process and development of complications. In Kurdistan Region of Iraq, there is poor use of multimodal control and pain assessments, which in the vast majority of cases leads to under-treatment.

Aim: The study aims to access the severity and management of postoperative pain for patients after abdominal surgery in Qalladze Teaching Hospital and determine some factors that affect the experiences of pain and satisfaction with care.

Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from April to June of 2025. Purposive sampling carried out on 90 adults, in first 24 hours after abdominal surgery. Data were measured in a validated structured questionnaire that comprised of demographic, clinical, pain level according to numeric rating scale (NRS), and patient satisfaction.

Results: Severe pain reported 82.2% of participants (mean score 7.44±1.44). There were Significant associations of gender (p = 0.042) and surgery duration (p = 0.026) with the level of pain. Patient satisfaction was 68.9% with limited use of multimodal analgesia and lack of preoperative education. The most frequent analgesics were NSAIDs and tramadol. Non-pharmacologic interventions were not frequent application.

Conclusion: Postoperative pain poorly managed and little structured protocols and education have been applied in regional hospitals. Efforts should aim at incorporating well-defined pain measurement instruments, multimodal interventions, and clinical education of care that should result in the outcomes and match with international standards.