RESUMO
The objectives of this study were to examine post-operative pain relief at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital; to assess the adequacy of pain relief; to identify factors contributing to inadequate pain relief and to make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of post-operative analgesis. The project is a small one. Numerically, this allows only limited statistical analysis. Therefore the conclusions are not definitive but only indicative of further avenues of research. The study finds that post-operative analgesia at this hospital is inadequate because of defects in prescription, delivery and in the assessment of pain. These factors combine to produce an ordeal of distress for the patient. Surprisingly, such inept action does not appear to be derived from bad attitudes or poor knowledge. Most doctors and nurses know what should be done and want to improve post-operative analgesia. Regional analgesia, with long acting local anaesthetics seems to offer some solution. Wound infiltration and the Rectus Sheath Block are investigated from this angle. The study concludes that post-operative pain relief at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital can be improved by proper prescription, effective delivery and accurate assessment of pain relief. The combination of regional analgesia and narcotic analgesia seems to provide better pain relief than intermittent narcotic injections alone (AU)
