OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to observe the postoperative pain rate and degree of pain in preschool children with cleft lip and palate, and investigate the effect of nursing intervention on pain relief.

METHODSA total of 120 hospitalized cases of three- to seven-year-old preschool children with cleft lip and palate were selected from May to October 2011. The subjects were randomly divided into the control group and experimental groups 1, 2, and 3. The control group used conventional nursing methods, experimental group 1 used analgesic drug treatment, experimental group 2 used psychological nursing interventions, and experimental group 3 used both psychological nursing intervention and analgesic drug treatment. After 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, pain self-assessment, pain parent-assessment, and pain nurse-assessment were calculated for the four groups using the pain assessment forms, and their ratings were compared.

RESULTSThe postoperative pain rates of the four groups ranged from 50.0% to 73.3%. The difference among the four groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The differences among the control group and experimental groups 1 and 2 were not statistically significant (P = 0.871), whereas the differences among experimental group 3 and the other groups were statistically significant (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONPostoperative pain in preschool children with cleft lip and palate is common. Psychological nursing intervention with analgesic treatment is effective in relieving postoperative pain.