Enhancing Postoperative Pain Management: a Pilot Study of Tailored Teaching on Selected Non- Drug Enhancements

The underuse of non-drug methods for pain management is among the top twenty-five issues in patient safety in the United States. Little is known about patients' knowledge and attitudes toward non-drug interventions, especially adults 50 and older. Education is one strategy for improving patient's knowledge and attitudes so as to encourage use of non-drug methods as enhancements to doctor ordered pain management strategies. In this single group, pre-experimental pilot study, a tailored teaching intervention on music, self-guided imagery and slow stroke massage was designed and implemented by nurses with adults 50 and older who underwent elective total joint replacement surgery. Results showed that subjects use all three complementary methods throughout their hospital stay and were very satisfied with their pain management. Further, subjects commented on how having these options available to them empowered them to take back some control over the management of their pain. The study suggests the value of tailored teaching and offers readers a process by which other tailored teaching interventions may be developed for symptom management.