Perceptions of pain levels among orthopedic surgery patients, their relatives, and nurses.

Objectives: This descriptive study investigated pain levels of orthopedic surgery patients, and how this pain is perceived by their relatives and nurses.

Methods: The study was carried out with 150 patients, 150 relatives and 50 nurses to determine pain intensity levels of orthopedic surgery patients and perceptions of this among their relatives and nurses. Intensity of pain was measured on a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale. Relatives and nurses were not allowed to see the patient's pain intensity score, and each nurse was allowed to participate in pain measurement three times. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the Mann Whitney-U test, Paired Sample t-Test, Linear Regression and Spearman Correlation Analysis.

Results: The pain intensity scores given by nurses (t=9.136, p<0.001) were significantly lower than patients' own scores. There was no significant difference between relatives' and patients' pain scores. In the regression analysis, pain intensity scores given by relatives were approximately 40% lower than those given by patients, while nurses' scores were approximately 60% lower.

Conclusion: Education on pain management and the physical and emotional reactions of patients to pain should be provided for nurses working in surgical clinics. Meanwhile, as those who spend most time with the patient, relatives should be informed about possible pain behaviors in the postoperative period in order to prepare them for their role in the patient's care.