성미혜1, 김미영2, 엄옥봉2

1인제대학교 간호학과, 2인제대학교 상계백병원 간호부

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain management in postoperative patients by assess-ing the effectiveness of preoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) education on postoperative pain.
Methods: Our subjects included 56 patients admitted for gynecologic surgery at a university hospital setting. They were divided into experimental (n=28) and control (n=28) groups. Knowledge of PCA use, attitude toward the use of analgesic drugs, severity of pain, and pain control satisfaction were investigated through ques-tionnaires completed before the pain management education and during the postoperative period.
Results: The knowledge of PCA use was better in the experimental group, but it was statistically not significant. Pain was more severe in the experimental group, but it was also statistically not significant. The attitude toward the use of analgesic drugs was significantly more positive, and the level of satisfaction of pain control was significantly higher in the experimental group.
Conclusions: Preoperative education using PCA could help patients have a positive attitude toward the use of analgesic drugs and promote better satisfaction of pain control.
Korean J Health Promot 2010;10(4):169-176

Keywords: Pain, Education, Pain-controlled analgesia