Assisting older adults to communicate their postoperative pain

Abstract

An intervention assisting older adults to communicate their pain was tested in a posttest-only experiment. Thirty-eight preoperative older adults were randomly assigned to a communication group watching a videotape about communicating and managing postoperative pain or a comparison group watching a videotape about managing postoperative pain only. Pain was measured on Postoperative Days 1 and 2, and 1 and 7 days after hospital discharge by a data collector blind to the condition. The communication group reported greater pain relief and less pain interference on Postoperative Day 1. The comparison group reported greater pain relief on Postoperative Day 2 after attaining a pain interference level similar to the pain communication group. The pain communication intervention had modest effects for reducing pain interference with activities on Postoperative Day 1. Greater pain relief might be achieved when older adults and their health care providers are more knowledgeable about both pain communication and pain management.