Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
Back to contents page
Translating Best Practices in Non-Drug Enhancements for
Postoperative Pain Management in a Magnet Community
Hospital
Dr. Susanne M. Tracy, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
University of New Hampshire
Phone: +011 603 862 0554
Fax: +011 603 862 4771
Email: s.tracy@unh.edu
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 in acute care hospitals in the
United States. Using a six-step collaborative research utilization
model conceived by Dr. Marlene Dufault, this pilot project sought to
determine the efficacy of complementary non-drug methods in
reducing postoperative pain in older patients. The primary purposes
of the study were twofold: a) to explore changes in subjects’
knowledge, attitudes, and abilities to use a tailored teaching
intervention on three best practice protocols for music, massage,
and self-guided imagery for postoperative pain management, and b)
to determine how frequently subjects’ used these non-drug
measures over the day of surgery and the first three days of their
postoperative stay. A secondary purpose was to describe subjects’
level of satisfaction with using the non-drug measures as part of
their overall pain management plan. The Collaborative Research
Utilization Model, built on Roger’s Theory of the Diffusion of
Innovation, framed the study. Additional theories related to pain
management, information coping, reasoning, and planned behavior
supported the study.
The data collection site was a 148-bed urban community
Magnet hospital in a coastal Northeast town in the United States. A
2-group, quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test design was used
with a convenience sample of 137 adults, aged 50 and older, and
undergoing joint replacement surgery requiring a minimum 3-day
postoperative hospital stay. Data were collected using several
instruments, including the Miller Behavioral Style Scale, the Non-
Drug Complementary Pain Interventions Survey, the Use of Non-
Drug Complementary Pain Interventions Form, a modified version of
the Brief Pain Inventory and the Complementary Chart Audit
instrument. Descriptive statistics and ANCOVA were applied to
analyze the data. Results showed significant changes in subjects’
pain intensity across their hospital stay, a decrease in the effect of
- 726 -