Effect of an Educational Program for Patients after Retinal Detachment Surgery on their Performance and Postoperative Pain Management

Background: Retinal detachment describes an emergency situation in which a thin layer
of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position. Retinal
detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen
and nourishment. The longer retinal detachment left untreated, the greater the risk of
permanent vision loss in the affected eye. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of
an educational program for patients after retinal detachment surgery on their performance
and postoperative pain management. Methods: The following hypotheses were formulated
to achieve the study aim. H1: Performance of the study group will be improved post
program implementation than the control group. H2: The study group will be able to
manage pain post program implementation than the control group. H3: There will be
significant correlation between patients’ performance and pain management post program
implementation for the study group. A quasi-experimental research design was utilized to
conduct the current study in the ophthalmology department at Benha University Hospital.
A purposive sample of (100) adult patients post retinal detachment surgery were included
in this study. Three tools were used, the patients’ knowledge assessment questionnaire, the
patients’ practice observational checklist regarding eye care and visual pain analogue scale
to assess pain severity. Results: This study shows that most patients had an unsatisfactory
level of total knowledge and inadequate total practice regarding the postoperative pain
management after retinal detachment surgery pre-program implementation (68% and
76%). This result improved significantly regarding all knowledge and practice elements
post-program implementation, where the majority of the patients had a satisfactory level of
their total knowledge and adequate total practice (78% and 75%). Conclusion: The
majority of the studied patients had an unsatisfactory performance level (knowledge and
practice) concerning postoperative pain management after retinal detachment surgery pre
program implementation. In contrast, most of the studied patients had statistically
significant improvement in their performance post program implementation. Also, there
was a significant positive correlation between patients’ performance and pain management
post program implementation that supports the research hypotheses. The study
recommended continuous in-service training programs and repeating the study on a high
probability sample to achieve generalization of the findings.