Abstract / Summary
Postoperative pain remains common and may delay mobilization and recovery, particularly where standardized pain assessment and perioperative pain services are limited. Evidence from Palestine remains scarce. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and severity of postoperative pain among adult patients undergoing elective surgery at two hospitals in Palestine. This prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled adults undergoing elective surgery at two hospitals in Palestine using convenience sampling. Sociodemographic, clinical, surgical, anaesthetic-medication, and postoperative analgesic data were collected prospectively. Pain was assessed once around the first postoperative day using a 0–10 numeric rating scale (NRS), including average pain during the preceding 24 h, pain at rest, and pain during movement. Pain outcomes were summarized descriptively at this single postoperative assessment. Among 208 participants, 201/208 (96.6%; 95% CI, 93.2–98.4) reported postoperative pain. Moderate-to-severe average pain during the first postoperative 24 h was reported by 194/208 participants (93.3%; 95% CI, 89.0–95.9), including 127/208 (61.1%; 95% CI, 54.3–67.4) with severe pain. Moderate-to-severe pain was reported by 147/208 (70.7%; 95% CI, 64.2–76.4) at rest and 197/208 (94.7%; 95% CI, 90.8–97.0) during movement. The median pain scores were 7 (IQR, 2) for average pain, 5 (IQR, 3) at rest, and 8 (IQR, 2.75) during movement. Postoperative pain at approximately 24 h after surgery was highly prevalent in this convenience sample of elective surgical patients from two hospitals in Nablus, with moderate-to-severe pain particularly common during movement. Because pain was assessed once, these findings do not describe the full acute postoperative pain trajectory. Not applicable.