Assessment of Analgesic Usage for Post-operative Pain Management in Surgical Patients at KIMS Hospital & Research Centre, Bangalore

Background Post-operative pain is experienced by the majority of patients and can be managed using a single analgesic agent or through multimodal analgesia.Objective To evaluate the prescription patterns of analgesics and assess pain management among post-operative patients.Method This was a prospective observational study conducted on 400 patients over a six months period. Data collected included patient demographics age gender chief complaints diagnosis laboratory test results and details of the drugs prescribed such as genericbrand name dose frequency route of administration and duration of treatment. Assessment of pain was done using the Numerical Rating Scale.Result Out of 400 patients 243 were male 60.75 and 167 were female 39.25. The largest proportion of subjects belonged to the 46-60 years age group 33.75. Majority of subjects reported mild pain 52.75. Most drugs were prescribed by brand name 88.1. Intravenous administration was the most common route 97.14. Tramadol was the frequently prescribed monotherapy on the day of surgery 16.25 whereas paracetamol was the most commonly prescribed monotherapy on postoperative days 1 42.96 2 61.61 and 3 69.37. The combination of tramadol and paracetamol was the most commonly prescribed combination therapy on postoperative day 0 40.25 day 1 26.04 day 2 15.16 and day 3 7.5.Conclusion This study highlights the need to curb irrational prescribing to reduce morbidity and ease the public health burden. Promoting the judicious use of all medications including analgesics can lower costs limit adverse effects and improve care delivery.