Acute Pain related to the Presence of Surgical Wound

Acute pain related to the presence of surgical wound on abdomen secondary to periampullary carcinoma

Desired Outcome/goal : Patient will get relief from pain as evidenced by a reduction in the pain scale score and verbalization.

Nursing Actions

Primary Prevention

• Assess severity of pain by using a pain scale
• Check the surgical site for any signs of infection or complications
• Support the areas with extra pillow to allow the normal alignment and to prevent strain
• Handle the area gently. Avoid unnecessary handling as this will affect the healing process
• Clean the area around the incision and do surgical dressing at the site of incision to prevent any form of infections
• Provide non-pharmacological measures for pain relief such as diversional activity which diverts the patients mind.
• Administer the pain medications as per the prescription by the pain clinics to relieve the severity of pain.
• Keep the patients body clean in order to avoid infection

Secondary Prevention

• Teach the patient about the relaxation techniques and make him to do it
• Encourage the patient to divert his mind from pain and to engage in pleasurable activities like taking with others
• Do not allow the patient to do strenuous activities. And explain to the patient why those activities are contraindicated.
• Involve the patient in making decisions about his own care and provide a positive psychological support
• Provide the primary preventive care when ever necessary.

Tertiary Prevention

• Educate the client about the importance of cleanliness and encourage him to maintain good personal hygiene.
• Involve the family members in the care of patient
• Encourage relatives to be with the client in order provide a psychological well being to patient .
• Educate the family members about the pain management measures.
• Provide the primary and secondary preventive measures to the client whenever necessary.

Evaluation – patient verbalized that the pain got reduced and the pain scale score also was zero. His facial expression also reveals that he got relief from pain.