Graduation Semester and Year

Spring 2026

Language

English

Document Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Patti Parker, PhD

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate the impact of a nurse-led multimodal postoperative pain management toolkit on recovery outcomes among adults undergoing same-day urologic surgery.

Design Quality improvement project using a pre–post implementation design in an outpatient perioperative setting.

Methods An evidence-based toolkit grounded in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) principles was implemented over eight weeks, incorporating scheduled non-opioid analgesics, nonpharmacologic strategies (thermal therapy, guided breathing, early mobilization), standardized patient education, and 24-hour follow-up calls. Outcomes included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores at discharge and 24 hours, escalation pathway utilization, and nurse knowledge competency. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests were used.

Findings Mean VAS pain scores decreased from discharge to 24-hour follow-up. A subset of patients reported reduced pain without requiring escalation. Nurse knowledge scores improved following education.

Conclusions A nurse-led, ERAS-aligned multimodal approach supports improved early postoperative pain control and enhances consistency in outpatient perioperative care.

Keywords

Keywords Multimodal pain management, outpatient surgery, perioperative nursing, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), non-opioid analgesia, postoperative pain, nursing-led intervention, quality improvement

Disciplines

Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Comments

Acknowledgements:  

College of Nursing & Health Innovation: Faculty Advisor, Dr. Patti Parker, PhD, RN, ACNS, GNP, BC, GS-S, Academic Statistician, Dr. Yungfei Kao, PhD, and Outpatient Surgery Nursing Staff

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