Pain Assessment Tools and Their Application in Surgical Wards at University of Benin Teaching Hospital

Accurate pain assessment is a prerequisite for effective postoperative pain management, yet the systematic use of validated pain assessment tools remains inconsistent in many Nigerian surgical wards. This professional practice evaluation examines the knowledge and application of pain assessment tools in surgical wards at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, South South Nigeria, in 2022 to 2023. A cross-sectional survey of 80 nursing staff and 40 surgical residents was combined with direct observation of pain assessment practice during 120 ward rounds over three months. Awareness of validated tools including the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Wong-Baker Faces Scale was assessed. Awareness of at least one pain assessment tool was demonstrated by 74% of nurses. Consistent use of a validated tool during ward rounds was observed in only 29% of observations. Non-verbal cues were relied upon in the majority of assessments. Nurses with more than five years of surgical experience used validated tools more consistently (p=0.002). Barriers to tool use included lack of institutional protocol and inadequate training. The study recommends mandatory pain assessment training for all surgical ward staff, standardization of a single institutional pain scale, and incorporation of documented pain scores as a sixth vital sign in routine nursing observations at UBTH. Keywords: pain assessment, NRS, postoperative pain, UBTH, nursing practice