{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T22:27:13Z","timestamp":1791239233197,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740096000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"\n Introduction and background<\/jats:title>\n Acute pain is expected following a surgery, but it is often inadequately managed by health care providers. However, little is known about the barriers that hinder acute post-operative pain management among surgical wards nurses.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n Uncovering barriers that hinder the surgical wards nurses to manage acute post-operative pain at the selected public hospital in Tshwane municipality, Gauteng Province, South Africa.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n This study utilized a qualitative explorative, descriptive, and contextual research design. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted from a purposive sampling of 13 professional nurses. Data collected were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by the first author. Data were analysed using thematic data analysis, which led to the emergence of themes and sub-themes. An independent co-coder assisted with data analysis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Findings<\/jats:title>\n The barriers described by the participants include: 1) Organisational\/ management related barriers; 2) Personnel related barriers, which were discussed as shortage of nurses, inadequate skill competency to manage acute post-operative pain, and interprofessional communication; and 3) Patient related barriers.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n This paper comes to the conclusion that, due to a number of stated barriers or obstacles, the nurses employed in the surgical wards of the selected hospital in South Africa are not adequately managing the acute post-operative pain. As a result, hospital management must devise practical solutions to the stated obstacles.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0316809","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T13:30:15Z","timestamp":1740144615000},"page":"e0316809","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Voices of surgical wards nurses on barriers hindering acute post-operative pain management at Tshwane municipality, South Africa"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8738-3042","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nnene Melia","family":"Makou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melitah Molatelo","family":"Rasweswe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ramadimetja Shirley","family":"Mooa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0316809.ref001","first-page":"100","article-title":"Utilization of non-pharmacological methods and the perceived barriers for adult postoperative pain management by the nurses at selected National Hospitals in Asmara, Eritrea.","volume":"19","author":"BY Kidanemariam","year":"2020","journal-title":"BioMed Central Nursing."},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0316809.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e588","DOI":"10.1097\/PR9.0000000000000588","article-title":"Postoperative pain-from mechanisms to treatment","volume":"2","author":"EM Pogatzki-Zahn","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pain Reports"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0316809.ref003","first-page":"187","article-title":"Management of acute pain in the postoperative setting: the importance of quality indicators.","volume":"34","author":"W Meissner","year":"2018"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0316809.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0213644","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0213644","article-title":"The views of patients, healthcare professionals and hospital officials on barriers to and facilitators of quality pain management in Ethiopian hospitals: A qualitative study","volume":"14","author":"MT Eshete","year":"2019","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0316809.ref005","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors for acute postoperative pain after elective orthopedic and general surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in Tanzania","volume":"011","author":"AS Ndebea","year":"2020","journal-title":"Journal of Pain Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0316809.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1080\/22201181.2015.1115608","article-title":"Acute postoperative pain in 1 231 patients at a developing country referral hospital: incidence and risk factors.","volume":"22","author":"AA Murray","year":"2016","journal-title":"Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0316809.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0258668","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0258668","article-title":"Are nurses utilizing the nonpharmacological pain management techniques in surgical wards","volume":"16","author":"MM Mohamed Bayoumi","year":"2021","journal-title":"? 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