Management of postoperative pain

Aim: To evaluate available scientific findings on the management of postoperative pain. Literature review is the basis for the research, examining the nurses' knowledge and experience in post-operative pain management (in both the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). Methods: Literature review - selected keywords (using Boolean operators) were searched in electronic databases (MEDLINE, EBSCO, CINAHL, ACADEMIC SEARCH ULTIMATE, SCIENCE DIRECT). Results: A total of 469 sources were found. 25 sources meeting the criteria were subjected to critical analysis. A total of 7 studies were selected for the final analysis. Conclusions: International guidelines are available for the treatment of postoperative pain, but according to the sources analysed, the guidelines are not applied in clinical practice. The results of the literature review have shown that there are deficiencies, especially in the knowledge of general nurses and the management of postoperative pain. It was also shown that the standardised procedures and tools for assessing pain in the patients' early postoperative period are not used. Specialised findings recommend placing more emphasis on the training and education of general nurses in the management of postoperative pain, and on evaluating the pain of the patient in the early postoperative period.