The Importance of Written and Verbal Information on Pain Treatment for Patients Undergoing Surgical Interventions

Patients who undergo a surgical intervention require information in the preoperative phase. Few qualitative studies are available that illuminate the importance of preoperative information for patients' experiences of postoperative pain management. The aim of this study was to examine patients' perceptions of preoperative information about pain treatment as well as its importance for the way pain was managed in the postoperative phase. A descriptive, qualitative study using individual interviews was performed. Content analysis was employed to analyze individual interviews with 18 patients who had undergone total hip or knee joint plastic surgery. Every second participant received verbal information on pain treatment in the standard way at the preoperative discussion, whereas the others were also provided with written information. The interviews took place in a public hospital, on the second or third postoperative day, between September and November 2010. The study revealed that a combination of written and verbal information on pain relief was perceived as valuable by the patients. Four main categories were identified: The form of information; the content of the information; the patients' experience of postoperative pain relief, and factors that influenced the patients' experience of pain relief. The theme “Participation” emerged from the latent content. Preoperative information on pain relief facilitated increased patient participation. Health care professionals often aim to ensure that patients participate in the care, but the latter sometimes lack the desire, strength, or ability to become involved.