Outcomes of Nurse-Led Psychological Reassurance Towards Reducing Post- Operative Pains among Patients in Selected Hospitals in Ibadan Oyo State

Abstract

Postoperative pain affects a significant proportion of surgical patients globally and remains a
major challenge in post-surgical care, with a substantial number of patients developing
persistent pain. Although psychological preparation for surgery has been shown to improve
surgical outcomes, limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of nurse-led psychological
reassurance in reducing postoperative pain and anxiety among surgical patients in Nigerian
hospital settings.
This study investigated the effect of nurse-led psychological reassurance on postoperative pain
and surgery preparedness among surgical patients in selected hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State. A
quasi-experimental research design involving experimental and control groups was adopted.
Four hospitals were selected, comprising two experimental and two control sites. A total of 102
surgical patients were randomly selected, including 67 in the experimental group and 35 in the
control group. Data were collected using a self-developed, structured questionnaire which was
validated by experts in nursing and behavioural sciences. The instrument demonstrated
acceptable internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.78. Data
were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, with the t-test conducted at
p ≤ 0.05.
The results showed that following the intervention, the proportion of patients who were well
prepared for surgery increased significantly in the experimental group (79.1%), while only
4.5% remained poorly prepared. Psychological reassurance also improved significantly, with
only 6.4% of respondents reporting high levels of worry. There was a statistically significant
improvement in surgery preparedness (t = 2.282, p = 0.026) and psychological reassurance (t
= 2.005, p = 0.049) following the intervention. It was concluded in this study that nurse-led
psychological reassurance significantly improved surgical patients’ psychological
preparedness and reduced postoperative pain-related anxiety. The study therefore recommends
the integration of structured psychological reassurance into routine nursing care for surgical
patients as a complementary approach to postoperative pain management, with reduced
reliance on opioid analgesics.