None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
A major concern regarding hemorrhoidectomy is the considerable post-operative pain experienced by patients for up to 14 days after surgery. Current pain management after a hemorrhoidectomy involves a 2 week extensive course of analgesics. However, a lack of adherence to such an extensive treatment plan may result in suboptimal pain relief. This randomised controlled trial aims to determine if patients who receive a checklist of their prescribed medications which they must tick off each day (checklist group) experience better pain relief than patients who receive the same medications without a checklist (control group). We hypothesised that participants in the checklist group would experience better pain relief compared to the control group due to the checklist helping them keep track of what time and dose they need to take their medication as well as what they have already taken. We intend for the results of the trial to be used as a starting point for the implementation of effective non-pharmacological adjuncts to pharmacological pain management after hemorrhoidectomies.
Interventions
Brief Name of intervention: Post-hemorrhoidectomy pain relief checklist
Patients were recruited by the colorectal surgeon performing their hemorrhoidectomy who gave the patient an envelope that had been allocated to either the control group or intervention (checklist) group. The surgeon was blinded to the allocation of the envelope. If the patient received an envelope that allocated them to the checklist group, then they would receive a visual analogue scale form and a checklist of their post-o
Brief Name of intervention: Post-hemorrhoidectomy pain relief checklist Patients were recruited by the colorectal surgeon performing their hemorrhoidectomy who gave the patient an envelope that had been allocated to either the control group or intervention (checklist) group. The surgeon was blinded to the allocation of the envelope. If the patient received an envelope that allocated them to the checklist group, then they would receive a visual analogue scale form and a checklist of their post-operative pain medications contained within it. They were to record their levels of pain on the visual analogue scales at 3 specified times each day and fill out the checklist as they took their medications for 14 days after their hemorrhoidectomy. This was done in the patient's own home. Once complete, they were also provided with an envelope addressed to our collection centre to mail their forms to.
Sponsors
Matthew Rickard
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
participants undergoing an open hemorrhoidectomy for third or fourth degree hemorrhoids at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, Australia between August 2017 and November 2018
Exclusion criteria
Pregnant women, children under 18
Outcome results
None listed