Effects of Nurse-Led Preoperative Visit on Postoperative Pain and Recovery among Surgical Patients in Nigeria: A Quasi-experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical patients' attitudes and perceptions of pain often impact their post-surgical pain experience and treatment effectiveness. Inadequate education and unclear postoperative pain expectations have been associated with heightened pain perception. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of perioperative nurse pre-visits on the pain and recovery level of surgical patients. METHODOLOGY: A quasi-experimental design was employed among 128 surgical patients (64 in each of the experimental and control groups), scheduled for surgery at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ethical approval was obtained from the institution's ethical review board with approval number UI/EC/24/0180 (08/4/2025-7/4/2025). The experimental group were pre-visited by the operating room nurse and received individual preoperative education and counselling. The patients in the control group received the routine information and education from generalist nurses on the ward. Using the visual analogue scale, post-surgical pain was measured within one and 24 hours post-operation. Patients' recovery level was assessed 48 to 72 hours after surgery, using a post-recovery scale. The data was analysed utilising the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The hypotheses were evaluated using the independent t-test. RESULT: Patients in the experimental group had a significantly lower pain score than the control group one hour and twenty-four hours following surgery (p < 0.001). Participants' post-operative assessments showed a significantly satisfactory recovery in 96.9% of the experimental group against 82.8% of the control group (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Pre-operative surgical nurse pre-visits had a significant effect on pain and recovery among surgical patients. Therefore, measures should be taken to incorporate it into clinical nursing protocols to improve patient satisfaction and recovery.