Journal of Clinical Nursing (JCN)Optimizing Nurse-Involved Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Postoperative Pain: A Scoping Review

This scoping review mapped nurse involvement in non-pharmacological postoperative pain interventions across 23 studies involving adult surgical inpatients. Most interventions were single-component approaches, including cold therapy, acupressure, education, aromatherapy, massage, and reflexology. Nurses participated primarily in implementation and evaluation, with substantially less involvement in planning. The review describes intervention patterns and workflow opportunities but did not conduct a formal quality appraisal or determine which approaches provide reliable clinical benefit.

Clinical Considerations

• Twenty of 23 studies used single-component interventions, suggesting these approaches may fit more readily within routine nursing workflows.
• Nurses participated in 87.0% of implementation, 56.5% of evaluation, and 30.4% of planning activities.
• Only one study involved nurses in planning, implementation, and evaluation, revealing fragmented participation across the nursing process.
• Pain intensity dominated assessment, while functional recovery, anxiety, comfort, opioid use, and longer-term outcomes received less consistent evaluation.
• Obstetric procedures were disproportionately represented, and evidence from limited countries may not generalize across surgical populations or health systems.
• The review did not evaluate intervention effectiveness, appraise study quality, or support one non-pharmacological strategy over another.

Practice Applications

• Recognize non-pharmacological interventions as adjuncts to multimodal pain management, not replacements for indicated analgesic treatment.
• Evaluate pain alongside function, comfort, anxiety, opioid exposure, mobility, and other recovery-related outcomes.
• Review institutional policies, required training, contraindications, and patient preferences before providing specific interventions.
• Consider nursing input when developing standardized perioperative pathways for intervention selection, delivery, reassessment, and documentation.
• Monitor intervention response and adverse effects using consistent measures and clinically appropriate reassessment intervals.