J Nurs Acad Soc.  1985 Dec;15(3):5-20.

A Study ou the Effects of Supportive Touch and Patient Educative on the Patient's Postoperative Pain

• Kim JH

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of post-operative treatment in terms of nursing care-in the allevation of pain. More specifically, the effects of supportive touch and patient education were examined.On the date before each patient's operation, the levels of anxiety, depression and affiliation were examined. The post-operative treatment was administered after an initial measurement of the patient's pain, according to the experimental category for the three days following the operation. On the final day, the level of anxiety and depression were again measured. The subjects of this study were 138 patient from the general surgical and gynecological wards in H University Hospital in Seoul. The study was conducted over a three-month period from June 24, 1984 to September 18, 1984. All patients had undergone laparatomics. Various standard instruments were used to measure the pain, anxiety, depression and affiliation levels. For pain, 5 grale Simple Descriptive Scale, and the Mclachlan four-range Observational Pain Scale were employed. For anxiety and depression, respectively the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory (B.D.I.) were used. Lastly, the affiliation was determined by the Mehrabian Affiliation Scale. The outcome of the research was as follows: 1. The first hypothesis concerning the existence of lower pain levels of Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B than the pain levels of Control Group C was not supported. 2. The second hypothesis concerning the existence of lower anxiety levels of Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B than the anxiety, levels of Control Group C was supported at the lovel of F=3.58 (p=. 03). 3. The third hypothesis concerning the existence of lower depression levels of Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B than the depression levels of Control Group C was not supported. 4. The fourth hypothesis concerning the exiotenoe of different levels of pain in accordance with the levels of affiliation in Experimental Group A was not supported. 5. A positive correlation did exist between pain and anxiety after surgery (r=. 34, p=. 0001). Thus, the fifth hypothesis was supported. 6. A positive correlation did exist between pain and depression following surgery(r=.30, p=. 0001). Thus, the sixth hypothesis was supported. Based on the above results, it was found that sup-portive touch and patient education either through human sources or via tape recorder do influence the anxiety of a patient after surgery, that a positive correlation between pain, anxiety and deparession exist, that affiliation does not alter the influence of supportive touch, and that the graph on which pain levels were depicted indicates the possibility of development even if the effects of supportive touch did not reach a meaningful level. Thus it can be concluded that patient education, regardless of its form, is essential for the patient after surgery and that supportive touch, when reasonably modified and supplemented, can be an effective metnod of alleviating pain.

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Depression
Humans
Nursing
Pain, Postoperative*
Patient Education as Topic
Seoul