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Improving patients’ postoperative sleep: a randomized control study comparing subcutaneous with intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia
Author(s) -
Dawson Lisa,
Brockbank Katrina,
Carr Eloise C.J.,
Barrett Richard F.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2648.1999.01161.x
Subject(s) - medicine , randomized controlled trial , anesthesia , patient controlled analgesia , sleep (system call) , surgery , analgesic , computer science , operating system
Improving patients’ postoperative sleep: a randomized control study comparing subcutaneous with intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia One hundred female patients undergoing major reconstructive plastic or gynaecological surgery were randomized to either receive subcutaneous patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) (bolus dose 2·5 mg diamorphine in 1 ml with a 20‐minute lockout) or intravenous PCA (bolus dose 0·5 mg diamorphine in 1 ml with a 5‐minute lockout). Data were collected by questionnaire and interview to evaluate the intervention on pain scores, quality of sleep on the first postoperative night, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and overall patient acceptability. The subcutaneous PCA group experienced less ‘worse pain’ ( P < 0·01) and less sleep disturbance due to pain ( P < 0·001). Subcutaneous PCA would appear to offer patients a safe and effective means of analgesia and may offer significant advantages over the intravenous route of administration.