Contemporary Nursing

Objective To explore the real experiences and needs of postoperative lung cancer patients using Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pumps within the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) framework, and to provide an evidence-based reference for postoperative analgesia management. Methods Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted from May to July 2023 with 8 patients who underwent lung cancer surgery and met the inclusion criteria, as well as 1 thoracic surgeon, 1 anesthesiologist, and 1 thoracic nurse in our hospital. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and Colaizzi's seven-step method was used for thematic analysis. Results Three themes were identified regarding patients' experiences with PCA: (1) fear of pain and demand for analgesia; (2) insufficient understanding of PCA's working principle and adverse reactions; (3) high demand for analgesia-related information and education. On the healthcare provider side, issues were identified including an inadequate system for the identification and dynamic monitoring of PCA adverse reactions. Conclusion It is recommended to strengthen preoperative PCA education in the ERAS pathway, establish a standardized PCA management process and adverse reaction handling protocol through anesthesia-surgery-nursing tripartite collaboration, and conduct analgesia training for ward medical staff, so as to improve patient satisfaction and promote postoperative recovery.

Rapid recovery; Self-controlled analgesia pump; Pain management; Qualitative research