A study analyzing data from 330,008 patients undergoing outpatient surgical procedures in Germany (2001-2021) assessed the quality of postoperative pain management. It found that 22.5% of patients experienced significant incisional pain (≥4/10 on the numerical rating scale) up to postoperative day three, with pain prevalence varying by procedure type. Hemorrhoid surgery (51.2%) and laparoscopic lysis of bowel adhesions (45.4%) had the highest pain rates. Key factors associated with greater pain included younger age (OR: 1.87), early postoperative pain (OR: 1.34), inadequate analgesic provision (OR: 2.90), and surgical wound infections (OR: 2.60).
Patients experiencing significant pain reported lower satisfaction with their procedure and required longer recovery times before returning to work. These findings highlight the need for tailored pain management strategies, particularly for high-risk procedures, to improve postoperative outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Reference: Baumbach P, Dreiling J, Arnold C, et al. Pain After Outpatient Surgical Procedures. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2024 Feb 9;121(3):71-78. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2023.0235. PMID: 37967288; PMCID: PMC11002442.
