PREOPERATIVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ITS RELATION WITH POSTOPERATIVE PAIN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Postoperative pain remains a major clinical challenge despite advances in surgical techniques and pain management. Increasing evidence suggests that pain is influenced not only by surgical factors but also by preoperative patient-related factors, particularly quality of life (QoL). However, limited research has explored this relationship in the Palestinian context. Objective: To assess the relationship between preoperative quality of life and postoperative pain among surgical patients, and to identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with postoperative pain. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted at a tertiary educational hospital called An- Najah National University in Palestine. A total of 120 adult patients undergoing surgical procedures were included. Preoperative quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire, while postoperative pain was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Data on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were also collected. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests, with Spearman correlation used to examine the relationship between QoL and pain. Result: Patients experienced moderate to severe levels of pain after surgery, as indicated by their mean postoperative score of 6.09±2.64. A moderately strong negative correlation between overall QoL (prior to surgery) and postoperative pain was noted (r =-0.482, p < 0.001) and each of the QoL domains (general health, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, and social functioning) had higher scores that were associated with lower levels of pain following surgery. Significant differences in postoperative pain scores were found based on the patient’s gender, marital status, residence, occupation, medical history, financial stability, and psychological stability. Conclusion: Pre-operative quality of life (QoL) is an important predictor of post-operative pain. Through adding a QoL assessment to the pre-operative evaluation process, there is potential to identify patients at risk for developing post-operative pain and increase the effectiveness of pain management post-operatively. There is a need for a patient-centered biopsychosocial approach to improve recovery following surgery for patients from a healthcare perspective in Palestinians.