Distress, Pain, and Nausea on Postoperative Days 1 and 14 in Women Recovering From Breast-Conserving Surgery: A Repeated-Measures Study.
Jennifer Ross Majumdar, Petra Goodman, Margaret Barton-Burke and 2 others
PMID 38950094WHAT IT FOUND
Most women reported clinically significant distress on postoperative day 1, but average scores did not change significantly over two weeks.
Pain persisted for one-third of patients at day 14. Nausea was rare. Nurses should assess distress and pain during the 24-hour post-surgery phone call.
Key findings
0185% of patients reported clinically relevant distress (score >= 4) on postoperative day 1, compared to 23% at baseline and 42% on day 14, although the mean distress scores did not differ significantly across time.
02Pain was a persistent issue, with 38.5% of patients reporting pain as a problem on day 1 and 34.5% on day 14, while postoperative nausea was reported by only 1.75% of patients on day 14.
03The authors suggest the routine 24-hour post-surgery phone call is an ideal time for nurses to assess distress and pain, as symptoms often occur after hospital discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single center and only included English-speaking, computer-literate women, limiting generalizability. The sample size was small (n=75) and the response rate was 61%. Distress was measured using a single-item thermometer, which may not capture the full complexity of psychological reactions. Follow-up was limited to 14 days, so long-term symptom trajectories are unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH and non-US government research funds.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that distress significantly changed over time just because the percentage of patients with high scores dropped from 85% to 42%. The statistical analysis showed no significant difference in mean distress scores across the time points.