Pain status in patients after upper limb orthopedic surgery at Nghe An Orthopedic Hospital in 2024

Abstract

Objective: To describe the pain experience of patients after upper extremity fracture fixation surgery at Nghe An Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics in 2024. Participants and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 150 patients who underwent upper extremity fracture fixation at the upper extremity department of the Hospital from April 2024 to June 2024. The study used the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) to assess the level of pain in patients post-surgery. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A) was used to measure patient’s anxiety levels. The Social Support Instrument ENRICHD (ESSI) by Mitchell PH was used to evaluate social support factors affecting the patients. Results: The study sample included 67.3% males and 32.7% females, with a mean age of 45.7 ± 15.8 years, ranging from 18 to 77 years. Most patients had a high school education (66.7%) and were married (76.7%). The average pain scores of patients in the first 72 hours after upper extremity fracture fixation were (27.2 ± 2.3; 22.9 ± 2.3; 18.3 ± 2.2) respectively. Conclusion: Within the first 72 hours after upper extremity fracture fixation, the pain was most severe in the first 24 hours, decreased progressively on the second day, and was less on the third day. To effectively manage pain after upper extremity fracture fixation, timely and continuous pain management, combined with psychological support and wound care, is recommended to optimize recovery and minimize discomfort for patients