Determining the effect of education given to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery in the preoperative period on postoperative pain beliefs and pain levels

Pain beliefs have significant effects on the inevitable pain experienced post-surgery. This experimental study was conducted to determine the impact of preoperative nursing education on postoperative pain beliefs and pain-related care needs. The research was carried out between November 2023 and February 2024 at the Duzce University Research and Application Center orthopedic clinic, involving 122 patients who were hospitalized, scheduled for surgery, and voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were divided into two groups: intervention and control. Patients in the intervention group received education and written brochures about pain from the researcher during the preoperative period, while the control group received standard care. Data collection tools included the 'Participant Information Form,' 'Pain Beliefs Scale,' and the 'Numeric Pain Scale.' Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare time-dependent measurements between groups. Post hoc LSD tests were employed for multiple comparisons. Relationships between categorical variables were examined using Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact test, depending on the expected values. Results were evaluated at a 95% confidence interval with a significance level of p<0.05. The study found that female patients in both the intervention and control groups experienced higher pain intensity than male patients (F=8.500; p=0.005; η2=0.126) and that patients who felt fear preoperatively tended to have more severe postoperative pain, although this relationship was not statistically significant. It was determined that patients in the intervention group who received preoperative pain education and written brochures had lower organic pain beliefs and lower postoperative pain levels compared to the control group (F=6.247; p=0.014; η2=0.049). It is recommended that comprehensive evaluation of patients' pain beliefs, along with the use of education and educational materials, be integrated into postoperative pain management