Over-the-counter oral analgesia for postcesarean pain

ive:The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction for oral analgesia for postcesarean pain management. Study Design:A prospective study was conducted on women who underwent cesarean section with regional analgesia. Women were treated with ibuprofen 400 mg in liquid-filled capsules on the first postoperative day by two modes of drug administration: on patient demand (n = 60) and at predetermined regular intervals (n = 54). Pain intensity and satisfaction were self-evaluated by the patients with use of a visual analog scale. Results:Patients in the fixed time interval group had lower pain scores (by 38%-54%, P< .001) compared with the on-demand group. Satisfaction scores in both groups were high but superior in the fixed time interval group (87.5 ± 18.8, median 94.5, vs 78.6 ± 21, median 85, P< .001). Conclusions:Oral, nonnarcotic, postcesarean analgesia provides satisfactory pain relief. Patient satisfaction can be further enhanced by providing the medications in fixed time intervals rather than leaving it to patient request. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:1066-9.)