Pain and other adverse symptoms identified by follow-up telephone call after ambulatory inguinal hernia repair

Aim: This retrospective study reviewed information that was collected as part of the post-operative follow-up telephone call, to identify if pain or other adverse symptoms were acknowledged as a problem by patients following inguinal hernia surgery. Method: Charts of 98 male patients who underwent inguinal hernia surgery between March 2006 and March 2007 were examined. A standardized check list was used to gather information regarding pain and adverse effects from patients on post-operative day [1]. The information gathered using this standardized check list was examined. Results: Pain was the most commonly reported adverse symptom with 81% of patients indicating they experienced pain. Eighty-six patients (87.7%) used their prescribed analgesics to manage their pain. The most commonly prescribed analgesic was 325 mg acetaminophen with 30 mg codeine.