The barriers to quality pain management in the postoperative patient

The quality of postoperative pain management often does not meet standards for either patients or clinical practice guidelines. Postoperative pain is often undertreated because of poor pain management practices. This is sometimes a direct result of inadequate assessment, knowledge deficits, lack of communication, divergent attitudes, absence of systematic documentation, inappropriate pain management techniques including non-use of pain management standards. The purpose of this study is to determine what factors affect the quality and outcomes of postoperative pain management from the perspectives of patients and nurses. The sample will include postoperative patients and nurses from two different medical-surgical nursing units in an acute care hospital. The study instrument utilized is the Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management (SCQIPP). Findings of this study will provide information as to which factors contribute to the quality and outcomes for adequate and appropriate postoperative pain management.