Impact of catheter removal practices on patient pain

The intervention compared two techniques used to release suction from a drain prior to removal: the Disconnecting technique and the Clamping technique. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in a hospital setting and included adult patients (aged over 18 years) who had undergone abdominal surgery with a suction drain inserted intraoperatively and scheduled for removal. An independent nurse, defined as a staff member with no active role in the patient’s care, had access to the randomisation schedule. This independent nurse was responsible for either clamping or disconnecting the drain and then blinding the intervention from the patient, the nurse removing the drain, The research nurse conducted surveys to both the patient participant and the nurse participant before and after drain removal. The total duration of the disconecting technique, includes the independent nurse manually disconnecting the Bellovac® suction drainage tubing from the catheter (Jackson Pratt or Blake) and securing of opaque covering to blind the technique from the patient, research nurse and nurse removing the drain, This process would take one - two minutes. No training was necessary for the nurse removing the drain as this practice is common for a surgical ward nurse.