Post-surgical patients often experience excessively high pain levels after major procedures, which often require the use of epidurals, pain pumps and other forms of pain relief. Sometimes these patients also find it difficult to sleep in the hospital environment. It is well known that rest is an important part of the healing process, and proper pain control allows the patient to ambulate more frequently. Patient’s pain and sleep levels also play a large part in the patient-satisfaction scores, which is a significant concern for us as healthcare facilities and funding. This study showed that something as simple as a nocturnal eye-mask provoked better sleeping habits and a reduction in reported pain symptoms.
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Mahran, G. S., Leach, M. J., Abbas, M. S., Abbas, A. M., & Ghoneim, A. M. (2020). Effect of Eye Masks on Pain and Sleep Quality in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Critical Care Nurse, 40(1), 27–35. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.4037/ccn2020
I think that would be very interesting to further investigate. We have post op surgeries at my hospital, mainly orthopedic, and some patient have a very hard first few nights with getting their pain under control and getting comfortable in the hospital beds. For some patients it will prolong their stay because they are not getting around as soon as they need to be on post-op day 1. There seems to be a lot of positive studies on the effectiveness of this method and also the use ear plugs as well.
Arttawejkul, P., Reutrakul, S., Muntham, D., Chirakalwasan,N. (2020). Effect of Nighttime Earplugs and Eye Masks on Sleep Quality in Intensive Care Unit Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med.24(1): 6–10
Ear plugs, sometimes we offer those to patients, so I could see that being another added piece that would be interesting to study. I read the article, and it would be a good study with a larger sample size and with patients who had the same type of surgery. Thanks for sharing!
What an incredible option! Being able to effectively control pain should be a priority. Constant pain makes it difficult to encourage patients to proceed with additional procedures if their pain is not controlled. This puts them at risk as they delay necessary treatment. Chronic pain requires a more detailed pain management program and specialized interventions.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acpain.2006.05.002
Yes, pain is also an ongoing struggle not just acutely after surgery, but maybe this is something that could help chronic pain sufferers as well? It’s also an area in pain management worth exploring.
Hello! For such a simple, cost effective intervention these could be offered to any post op patient. Covering the eyes definitely reduces stimuli, which can reduce the perception of pain and help the patient rest better. From your article, it looks as if any negative side effects are minimal, I would say this is worth exploring more and possibly implementing.
I agree, it seems like such a small, inexpensive intervention that could make a big difference for patients in pain!
Last year my dad have a stump revision and had 4 inches cut off of the previous amputation. Pain control was almost unachievable but one intervention that they used was one that I had not been exposed to previously. It was called an On-Q ball. It held a nerve blocking agent and as the body absorbed the medication, the ball collapses. When it is empty/dry then you remove the ball. He was able to have this at home for 3-4 day after surgery. Pain control has become a larger focus with the opioid crisis and they are definitely looking at interventions outside of the box.
Infection; study found that ON-Q pain relief system reduced postsurgical pain. (2003, Oct 26). Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/docview/206906215?accountid=27424
This is such a great topic to research. My facility provides welcome packet’s which consist of bath and body, ear plugs and eye masks to all mom’s on the maternity ward. I assumed it was to increase patient satisfaction and press ganey scores. I researched a study that evaluated the impact on ear plugs and eye masks on sleep in ICU patients. The results of the study concluded that the patients that wore ear plugs and eye masks had reduced long sleep awakening and increased N3 sleep duration. Sleep quality is an important aspect of care. Improving sleep patterns will help patients to feel better and help to decrease the need for pain medication.Limitations of the study was the inability for patients to wear the ear plugs and eye mask for long periods of time. Success of the study will depend on how patients can tolerate the accessories.
Demoule, A., Carreira, S., Lavault, S., Pallanca, O., Morawiec, E., Mayaux, J., Arnulf, I., & Similowski, T. (2017). Impact of earplugs and eye mask on sleep in critically ill patients: a prospective randomized study. Critical care (London, England), 21(1), 284. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-017-1865-0
I find this to be an interesting study. I just had a c-section and while in recovery I wanted to leave a light on so I could see the baby easier however that doesnt help with sleeping, plus of course the lights coming in from under the door from hallway. I used sleep masks when working night shift and can tell you I did sleep way better. There was a stimulated study done in an ICU for use of oral melatonin. eye masks and ear plugs to promote better sleep and it looks like it was a good push for doing that. We all know good sleep, promotes healing.
How can hospitals improve patient sleep quality in the ICU?: Intensive care units can be noisy places filled with lights and are not always conducive to getting a good night’s sleep. To resolve this issue, researchers in China set out to find the best way to boost ICU patients’ sleep quality. (2020). Becker’s Hospital Review – Healthcare News. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/how-can-hospitals-improve-patient-sleep-quality-in-the-icu.html
This is an initiative that several of the surgeons are pushing at the facility that I am working at. Narcotic use during and after surgery has shown to lengthen the stay in recovery and overall time spent in a hospital. I have seen that patient education during surgery seems to help, as well as the administration of tap blocks to prevent patient pain locally instead of systemically. In an article on reducing the amount of narcotic use in post operative care, it was found that this very intervention helped to reduce pain levels, length of stay and recovery times after mini-laparoscopic hysterectomy procedures (Adajar, 2018).
Adajar, A. (2018). 73: Eliminating post-operative narcotic use after mini-laparoscopic hysterectomy: Effectiveness of a multimodal pain management regimen adopted into clinical practice. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 218, S937–S938. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.1016/j.ajog.2017.12.092
I can remember when I was in the ICU recovering from encephalocele surgery trying to sleep with all of the monitors and lights was almost impossible. I think that earplugs would be an amazing idea. What an easy and cost-effective way to improve patient satisfaction and allow a patient to get the much-needed sleep during their stay.
S. Parthasarathy, M., A. Richardson, W., JJ. Whitcomb, M., TJ. Mejer, S., GL. Weinhouse, R., BB. Kamdar, D., . . . HJ. Gritton, A. (2015, March 27). Effects of earplugs and eye masks combined with relaxing music on sleep, melatonin and cortisol levels in ICU patients: A randomized controlled trial. Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-015-0855-3