Ways of Reasoning Used by Nurses in Postoperative Pain Assessment

Background: Postoperative pain is a major concern of patients undergoing surgery. Pain assessment for patients undergoing surgery is a common requirement for surgical nurses and is the most important nursing approach to ensuring patient comfort. Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify the reasoning used by nurses when assessing postoperative pain in patients. Methods: Phenomenography was the research approach chosen to analyze the nurses’ experiences. This approach is used to acquire qualitative knowledge about the ways individuals experience the world. Results: The reasoning used by nurses in postoperative pain assessment was identified from two perspectives: the frames of reference used to interpret a patient's perception of pain and the strategic efforts used to assess the pain. An outcome space for the various categories of reasoning employed by the nurses with regard to postoperative pain assessment was constructed to determine how these categories were logically related. Conclusions: These findings have the potential to lead to a diverse range of nursing education modalities related to the adoption of different focuses and actions in postoperative pain assessment.