Effects of Pain Beliefs on Postoperative Pain and Analgesic Consumption in Spine Surgery Patients

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the impact of pain belief on postoperative pain and analgesic consumption in patients undergoing spine surgery. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 71 patients undergoing spine surgery, who were admitted to the neurosurgery department of a university hospital between January 2021 and April 2022. Descriptive information form, Pain Beliefs Questionnaire, visual analog scale, pain evaluation form, and verbal category scale were used for data collection. RESULTS: Participant mean age was 53 years, and 40.8% underwent spinal disc surgery. A total of 60.2% of the participants experienced moderate postoperative pain, and severe pain was noted during the second postoperative hour, after rest and coughing, which decreased significantly during consecutive hours. Besides, 70.4% of the participants expressed that the level of pain decreased, 43.7% had pain as they expected, 69.0% had intermittent pain, and 53.5% experienced pain at the surgical site. The mean scores obtained from the Organic and Psychological Beliefs subscales of the Pain Beliefs Questionnaire were 4.25 and 4.21, respectively. There was a statistically significant relationship between the Psychological Beliefs and visual analog scale scores after coughing measured in the postoperative 24th and 36th hours. There was also a significant relationship between organic beliefs and working status. There was no statistically significant relationship between analgesic consumption and pain belief. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing spine surgery experienced moderate pain and had a relatively high level of pain beliefs. Regular evaluation of pain levels and beliefs is required for effective pain management.