Adolescent Patients’ Management of Postoperative Pain after Discharge: A Qualitative Study

Adolescents are typically admitted for a short period of time after inpatient surgery, leaving much of their recovery to occur at home. Pain, and thus pain management, is a major component of recovery at home. Research among pediatric outpatient surgical patients has found that pain experienced in the community setting after discharge is often severe and is related to knowledge deficits resulting in inadequate pain management. However, there is little research on community pain management after inpatient surgery. This study aimed to explore the pain experiences of seven adolescents who underwent inpatient surgery. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as a methodology. This study took place at a pediatric tertiary care hospital in Canada. 7 adolescents participated, all of whom underwent inpatient surgery with admission between 2-14 days in length. Semi-structured interviews were conducted 2 to 6 weeks post-discharge. Three themes were identified that described their experiences, including managing severe pain at home with minimal preparation, changes in the parent–child relationship, and difficulties returning to school and regular activities. Involving adolescents directly in discharge education, particularly with the use of novel interventions and coaching, may improve outcomes. Adolescent patients experience significant pain after discharge from hospital after inpatient surgical procedures. Adolescents are in need of adolescent-specific pain management education to increase skill and knowledge and address pain management-related misconceptions. Greater emphasis on involving adolescents in their own pain care and novel intervention could prove useful in improving outcomes.