Pain Management Protocols and Satisfaction After Ambulatory Oral Surgery Procedures in Anambra State Government Hospitals

Effective pain management is central to the quality of care in ambulatory oral surgical practice. Despite the availability of diverse analgesic options, patients undergoing outpatient oral surgical procedures in Nigeria often report inadequate pain relief, raising concerns about current pain management protocols. This cross-sectional study evaluates the adequacy of pain management protocols and patient satisfaction after ambulatory oral surgery procedures at three government hospitals in Anambra State, South East Nigeria. A structured pain assessment tool incorporating the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and a satisfaction questionnaire was administered to 240 patients at 24 hours and 72 hours following procedures including simple and surgical extractions, abscess drainage, and soft tissue biopsy. Prescribed analgesic regimens, self-medication behavior, and unplanned emergency returns were also documented. Results indicate that 44% of patients reported moderate to severe pain at 24 hours, and 28% supplemented prescribed medications with over-the-counter analgesics or traditional remedies not prescribed by their surgeon. Patient satisfaction with pain management was rated as fair or poor by 39% of respondents. Pre-operative pain counseling was absent in 67% of cases. The study identifies a need for standardized multimodal analgesic protocols for common ambulatory oral surgical procedures in Anambra State and recommends the development of postoperative pain management guidelines adapted for the South East Nigerian context. Keywords: pain management, ambulatory oral surgery, patient satisfaction, Anambra, analgesic protocols.