TY - JOUR
T1 - Patients' Versus Nurses' Assessments of Pain and Sedation After Cesarean Section
AU - Olden, Angella J.
AU - Jordan, Elizabeth T.
AU - Sakima, Neal T.
AU - Grass, Jeffrey A.
PY - 1995/2
Y1 - 1995/2
N2 - Objective: To compare nurses' and patients' assessments of pain and sedation in patients receiving epidural or intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) after cesarean section. Design: Prospective, randomized study. Setting: The perinatal unit mid labor and delivery unit in a 1,036‐bed university hospital in the mid‐Atlantic region. Participants:‘Twenty‐six patients receiving epidural PCA or intravenous PCA. Nurses participating in the study were assigned as caregivers to the 20 patients. Main outcome measures: Pain and sedation were assessed using 10‐cm visual analogue scales completed by both the patient and the patient's nurse twice daily on the way of surgery and on the I st and 2nd postoperative days. Results: No significant correlation was found between the nurses' and patients' pain or sedation scores. Chi‐square analysis showed that the nurse was as likely to underestimate as to overestimate the patient's pain score. The nurse underestimated the patient's sedation score 85% of the time. Conclusions: The results suggest that nurses' and patients' assessments of pain and sedation differ. The routine use of a standardized self‐assessment tool. such as the visual analogue scale, is recommended to ensure that analgesic treatment is based on the subjective nature of the patient's pain experience rather than the nurse's judgment.
AB - Objective: To compare nurses' and patients' assessments of pain and sedation in patients receiving epidural or intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) after cesarean section. Design: Prospective, randomized study. Setting: The perinatal unit mid labor and delivery unit in a 1,036‐bed university hospital in the mid‐Atlantic region. Participants:‘Twenty‐six patients receiving epidural PCA or intravenous PCA. Nurses participating in the study were assigned as caregivers to the 20 patients. Main outcome measures: Pain and sedation were assessed using 10‐cm visual analogue scales completed by both the patient and the patient's nurse twice daily on the way of surgery and on the I st and 2nd postoperative days. Results: No significant correlation was found between the nurses' and patients' pain or sedation scores. Chi‐square analysis showed that the nurse was as likely to underestimate as to overestimate the patient's pain score. The nurse underestimated the patient's sedation score 85% of the time. Conclusions: The results suggest that nurses' and patients' assessments of pain and sedation differ. The routine use of a standardized self‐assessment tool. such as the visual analogue scale, is recommended to ensure that analgesic treatment is based on the subjective nature of the patient's pain experience rather than the nurse's judgment.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1552-6909.1995.tb02455.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1552-6909.1995.tb02455.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 7745487
AN - SCOPUS:0029246149
SN - 0884-2175
VL - 24
SP - 137
EP - 141
JO - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing
JF - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing
IS - 2
ER -