Patients overestimate postop pain they will experience

Editor's Note

Patients significantly overestimate the amount of pain they will experience after surgery, which can cause unnecessary anxiety, finds a study presented October 21 at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting in Boston.

A total of 223 patients completed a questionnaire before and after surgery to evaluate the level of postoperative pain they expected and actually experienced in the PACU and on the first day after surgery on a scale of 1 to 10.

The average expected pain rating in the PACU was 4.66, compared to an actual pain rating of 2.56. The average expected pain rating on the first day after surgery was 5.45, compared to an actual pain rating of 4.30. 

Patients who received regional anesthesia (96 patients) had an average expected pain rating in the PACU of 4.63, compared to an actual pain rating of 0.92. The average expected pain rating on the first day after surgery was 5.47, compared to an actual pain rating of 3.45.

The findings show that providers need to do a better job of counseling patients on realistic pain expectations, the authors say. This is especially true for patients receiving regional anesthesia, who may not fully understand the benefits of these procedures for preventing postoperative pain.

BOSTON - Patients significantly overestimate the anticipated amount of pain they'll experience following surgery, which researchers say can cause unnecessary anxiety in patients, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 annual meeting. Patients who receive regional anesthesia, such as peripheral nerve blocks, epidurals or spinal anesthesia, were most likely to overestimate their postoperative pain.

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