Nursing interventions for prevention and management of acute post-Thoracotomy Pain: scoping review

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of nursing interventions for acute pain after thoracotomy. Methods In this scoping review study, a total of eight electronic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE(R), TR-Dizin, and Dergi Park, were searched to find relevant studies published between 2003 and January 2024. These databases were searched for the following search terms, including "Nursing Care", "Nurse", "Thoracotomy", "Pain", and "Pain management". This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Findings Nine articles with 521 participants in total are included in this scoping review. Education was the most frequently used intervention for the pain management of thoracotomy patients. Other interventions were cold application, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), and chest tube dressing. Cold application and preoperative education decreased the thoracotomy patients' pain significantly. However, TENS caused a significant decrease in one study, and different dressing types did not cause statistically significant differences in pain. Conclusions This scoping review revealed that education, TENS, and cold application can help decrease thoracotomy pain, whereas the dressing type did not. Also, more nursing interventions about the acute pain management of thoracotomy patients are needed.