The Effect of Preoperative Education about Patient Controlled Analgesia on Postoperative Pain Control of Elderly Receiving Total Knee Arthroplasty

수술 전 통증자가조절기 교육이 슬관절치환술 노인의 수술 후 통증에 미치는 효과

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of preoperative education about patient controlled analgesia (PCA) on postoperative pain control for elderly after total knee arthroplasty. Methods: The study applied a quasi-experimental design. To prevent communication between experimental group and control groups, data from control group were collected before provision of preoperative education for the experimental group. A total of 50 elderly patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty and older than 65 years old participated in this study. The preoperative education about PCA was provided for the experimental group before surgery. The preoperative education program consisted of fifteen minute education about pain control, and PCA use, as well as demonstration of PCA use. Results: The experimental group had higher knowledge score about pain and PCA use, and more positive attitudes toward pain and use of analgesics after surgery than the control group. There was no significant difference in use of additional analgesics after surgery between the two groups. The experimental group had significantly lower pain score at 8, 24 and 36 hours after surgery than the control group. The experimental group had higher level of satisfaction about PCA use than the control group. Conclusion: The preoperative education about PCA, customized for elderly patients could be an effective nursing intervention for postoperative pain control after total knee arthroplasty.