EFFICACY OF PATIENT-CONTROLLED ANALGESIA IN WOMEN CHOLECYSTECTOMY PATIENTS

The purpose of this comparative study was to examine differences in pa in intensity, sleep disturbance, sleep effectiveness, fatigue, and vig or between patients undergoing cholecystectomy who received either pat ient-controlled analgesia (PCA) or intramuscular (IM) injections of na rcotics for postoperative pain. The PCA group consisted of 16 women, a ged 22-58; the IM group consisted of 10 women, aged 22-60. Data were c ollected on patients' postoperative days 1 and 2. Findings indicated t hat patients receiving PCA reported less pain on postoperative day I a nd less fatigue on postoperative day 2 than patients receiving IM inje ctions of narcotics.