Postoperative pain management at Tirana university hospital center -Mother Teresa-, Tirana, Albania

Abstract

There is no or little evidence on postoperative pain assessment and treatment in Albanian hospitals. This study is based on our every day work and aims to highlight our experience. We conducted a descriptive drug utilization study which implied data collection over 6 months. Evidence of the enrolled patients was kept by maintaining records and the completed structured questionnaires. Postoperative pain was assessed through a five-category verbal rating scale (VRS). Metamizole was the most prescribed and administered analgesic drug as single therapy and in combination therapy, and acetaminophen was the least prescribed drug. The compliance between the prescribed dosages and those administered was higher in patients treated with a single analgesic compared to multiple therapies. A few patients reported adverse events (4.2 percent). There is much variability in postoperative pain management methods used by medical staff within the Tirana University Hospital. In Albania to date there is no standard protocol for postoperative pain treatment. This study shows that there are no essential differences in patient outcomes in terms of efficacy of analgesic treatment. This leads to the conclusion that a postoperative protocol/guideline for pain management should be prepared, based on our local study findings and also on international experience. Moreover, the guidelines should consider use of balanced analgesia.