Date of Award

2005

Degree Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Marlene Dufault

Abstract

The Agency for Healthcare Quality Research (AHRQ cites the under-use of non-drug methods for pain management as among the top twenty-five issues in patient safety (AHRQ, 2001) in acute care hospitals. Little is known about patients' knowledge and attitudes towards non-drug interventions, especially in adult populations 50 years and older. Education is one strategy for improving patients' knowledge, attitudes and use of non-drug enhancements to complement pharmacological pain management. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to describe the usefulness of a tailored teaching intervention on three best practice protocols for music, massage, and self-guided imagery for pain management in postoperative patients age 50 and older experiencing joint replacement surgery. A single group, non-experimental design was used with a convenience sample of 45 adults, aged 50 and older, undergoing joint replacement surgery requiring a minimum 3-day postoperative acute care stay. Data were collected using the Non Drug Complementary Pain Interventions Survey, and the Use of Non-Drug Complementary Pain Interventions Form [UNDCPI] both developed for and piloted in this study. An adapted version of Ferrell's Standard of Care Audit Instrument was used to monitor data safety and adherence to study protocol guidelines. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data. Results showed that there were significant changes in subjects' knowledge and attitudes following use of the teaching intervention. Subject use of music, self-guided imagery, and massage increased over the four day acute care hospital stay, and subjects were satisfied with the choices of non-drug methods they chose as part of their pain management plan.* *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a DVD as part of the dissertation).

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