The association of patients' daily summarized self-rated "real-time" pain scores with physical recovery after major surgery - A repeated measurement design.
Lotta Wikström, Mats Nilsson, Kerstin Eriksson
PMID 31871715WHAT IT FOUND
High daily median pain scores after major surgery are associated with worse physical recovery the next day.
Nurses should use these scores to flag patients at risk for delayed recovery, prompting early discussions about mobility and symptom management rather than waiting for retrospective reports.
Key findings
01Pain intensity at rest on day 1 was significantly associated with five aspects of physical recovery on day 1, including fatigue, sleeping difficulties, mobilization, muscle weakness, and personal hygiene.
02Pain intensity during activity on day 1 was significantly associated with four aspects of physical recovery on day 2, including fatigue, gastrointestinal function, mobilization, and muscle weakness.
03Real-time pain scores predicted fewer recovery issues than retrospective scores, suggesting real-time data is less effective for predicting recovery trends but essential for immediate pain management.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample, which may limit generalizability. Real-time pain scores had fewer significant associations with recovery outcomes compared to retrospective scores, potentially due to lower documentation frequency or quality. The analysis focused only on physical aspects of recovery, excluding psychological and social dimensions. A large proportion of patients had low pain scores (median 0-3), which reduced the statistical power to detect associations in the high-pain group.
Declared interests
None declared. Funding was provided by Futurum Academy for Health and Care and FORSS Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the association between pain and recovery as proof that pain causes delayed recovery; this is an observational study. Additionally, do not rely solely on real-time scores for predicting recovery trends, as the study found retrospective scores were more strongly associated with recovery outcomes, suggesting real-time data is better for immediate management than for long-term recovery prediction.