Pasientens medvirkning i postoperativ smertebehandling ved hofte- og kneprotesekirurgi

Abstract

Patient involvement in postoperative pain management after hip and knee replacement surgery Background: Hip and knee replacement using fast-track surgery is implemented by several Norwegian hospitals. This includes specific preoperative information, multimodal analgesia, minimal use of invasive techniques, rapid mobilisation and shorter length of hospital stay. Accelerated patient care requires close interdisciplinary cooperation and participation from the patient. Previous studies show excellent medical and cost- effective results, but there are few qualitative studies of the patients’ experiences Objective: The objective was to describe how patients experience participation in postoperative pain management after hip and knee replacement surgery. Method: The study followed a qualitative descriptive design. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted on postoperative day three with patients who had undergone hip or knee replacement surgery. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Most participants participated in the scheduled training programme despite experiencing suboptimal pain relief. Participants described various understanding and behavioral patterns regarding their own pain reporting and unclear procedures for using pain assessment tools. Conclusion: The study highlights current challenges related to accelerated patient care requiring patients to participate actively in postoperative mobilisation and pain reporting. Since several of the patients described pain during mobilisation, we recommend further qualitative and quantitative studies of patients’ pain experiences, both during and after their hospital stay.