Journal of Pain Management & Medicine

Abstract

Incidence and Predictors of Moderate to Severe Postoperative Pain after Cesarean Section among Parturient Receiving Spinal Anesthesia at the Selected Southern Ethiopian Governmental Hospital 2023: A Multicenter Prospective Single-Armed Cohort Study

Dejene Moreda*, Yonas Sagni, Hunde Amsalu, Simeneh Molla

Background: Inadequate treatment of postoperative pain predisposes patients to delayed recovery, affects the interaction between mothers and babies, results in longer hospital stays, and increases the incidence of chronic pain. In limited resource areas, postoperative pain management is challenging because of the inadequate administration of pain relief drugs and the high patient-to-nurse ratio, which limits the assessment of pain. Objective: To assess the incidence and predictors of moderate to severe postoperative pain after cesarean section among parturients receiving spinal anesthesia at selected Southern Governmental Hospitals from January 1 to May 30, 2023.

Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted at selected hospitals after ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board. A numeric rating scale was used to assess pain severity. Binary logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for postoperative pain. A p value of 0.05 was considered the cutoff point to test for statistical significance in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results: In our study, the incidence of moderate to severe postoperative pain after cesarean section was 68.29% within the first 24 hours. On the basis of the multivariable analysis, preoperative anxiety (AOR: 2.849, 95% CI: 1.276, 6.359), previous cesarean section (AOR: 3.571, 95% CI: 1.536, 8.300) and transverse incision (AOR: 6.965, 95% CI: 2.469, 19.652) were significantly associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain after cesarean section. Abdominal field blocks decreased the incidence of postoperative pain (AOR: 0.035, 95% CI: 0.009, 0.139).

Conclusion: In this study, many parturients experienced moderate to severe postcaesarean pain in the first 24 hours. Preoperative anxiety, a history of previous cesarean section, and a transverse incision were predictors of moderate to severe postcaesarean pain. Postoperative pain should be assessed, and interventions should be given on the basis of the severity of pain according to pain scale assessment.

Published Date: 2026-02-11; Received Date: 2024-09-09