Determination of the relationship between surgical fear levels and postoperative pain levels in patients undergoing total knee prosthesis surgery

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between surgical fear levels and postoperative pain levels of patients undergoing total knee prosthesis surgery. This descriptive study was conducted between December 2018 and May 2019 in patients hospitalized in the surgical mixed services of a foundation hospital in Ankara. The study included 74 patients who applied for total knee prosthesis surgery, who met the inclusion criteria and accepted to participate. The data of the study were collected with "Patient Identification Information Data Collection Form", "Surgical Fear Questinonaire (SFQ)", "Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)", "Postoperative Pain Assessment and Analgesic Use Status Form ". In the study the mean total SFQ score of patients was 33.89±24.04, the short-term fears subscale score was 15.44±14.38, and the long-term fears subscale score was 18.44±11.30. The mean postoperative pain score was 2.19±1.09. A significant positive correlation was found between the mean pain score and the mean total SFQ and subscale score of the patients (p<0,05). It was determined that the patients had more pain in the postoperative period as the surgical fear level increased. Mean short-term fears subscale scores of the patients who had previous surgery and the mean total SFQ and subscale scores of the patients who found education insufficient were significantly higher (p<0.05). As a result, it was determined that patients with high levels of fear in the preoperative period experienced more pain in the postoperative period. Nurses have an important place in patient care in reducing surgical fear. It is recommended to determine the surgical fear levels and causes of patients planned to undergo surgical interventions by nurses, to apply methods to reduce the feeling of fear, and to provide patient education in this direction. Keywords: Knee prosthesis, surgical fear, postoperative pain, nursing