Patients' perceptions of pain management and use of coping strategies

As a result of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations accreditation standards for 2001, pain management for hospitalized patients has become a top priority of healthcare facilities. In addition to using the traditional pharmacological approach to pain management, many patients also use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. However, CAM treatments may not be discussed or offered to patients by healthcare providers who lack awareness about these alternatives. The purpose of this study was to assess patients' perceptions of pain, their beliefs about the use of pharmacological and CAM pain management techniques, and their satisfaction with pain management. Researchers verbally administered a survey to patients by using a combination of open-ended questions and a 0-10 rating scale, and they recorded their responses. This study was conducted in a not-for-profit teaching hospital in the southeast United States. Convenience sampling was used to select the 137 patients who completed the surveys. No treatment intervention was provided. Pharmacological treatment was the primary method expected and used by the majority of patients for pain management. Chi-squared statistics were used to analyze nonparametric data. An analysis of variance was used to analyze parametric data. The frequency with which nonpharmacological CAM options were used ranged from 6 to 34 percent. The most commonly used CAM method was distraction, such as watching television or reading.