When it comes to how patients manage pain after surgery, demographics may play a larger role than previously thought, according to a study in April's AORN Journal.
Researchers investigated 127 patients' pain self-management behavior after they underwent a total knee or total hip replacement in a hospital. A nurse assessed patients' pain using the Brief Pain Inventory up to 72 hours after surgery, and patients also completed a pain self-management behavior questionnaire three days after surgery.
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They found significant differences in average pain intensity and scores on the postoperative pain self-management behavior survey among two groups:
- Patients with higher education levels had lower pain intensity and higher self-management behavior than those with less education
- Female patients had higher pain intensity and lower pain-self management behavior than men
- Patients with previous surgical history reported higher pain self-management scores than those patients with no surgical history
"Healthcare professionals must consider patients' demographic characteristics when providing education and support regarding pain self-management for postoperative pain control," the study concludes. Additionally, the authors wrote of the "need to develop patient-centered education programs to improve patients' knowledge and belief in their ability to manage their pain to enhance positive health outcomes after surgery."