Experiences of pain and satisfaction with pain management in patients undergoing total knee replacement

Purpose: To investigate the features of pain, factors affecting pain, interference with activities, and satisfaction with pain management in patients undergoing total knee replacement. Design: Descriptive study. Sample: Nonrandom sample included 120 patients undergoing total knee replacement. Methods: Data collected with the Brief Pain Inventory on Day 4 after operation. Findings: The mean pain score was 3.70 on Day 3 after operation. Of all patients, 76.7% had a throbbing and tingling pain at the incision area. Pain most interfered with walking (5.9), exercise (5.8), general activity (5.4), and sleep (4.0). Implications for Nursing Practice: It is not enough to determine pain severity for pain management. Pain interferes with activities. Therefore, nurses should assess both pain severity and interference with activities and provide pain management, which avoids interference with activates.