A study on the correlation between the nurses' and patients' postoperative pain assessments

In this research, the correlation of assessment of postoperative pain between nurses and their clients is investigated. The aim of the research was to investigate whether or not the nurses can evaluate the pain that clients have in the postoperative process in the same sense as clients do and to examine personal factors that affect this evaluation. The descriptive and comparative research was undertaken between January 2008 and April 2008 in the clinics of Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital. The study group consisted of 47 nurses and 94 patients aged 18-65 years evaluated in the 48 hours' postoperative period. After review of the literature regarding McGill-Melzack pain assessment, a questionnaire for patients and another for nurses were used. The data gathered from the surveys were analyzed by the SPSS program. For intermittent variables chi-square test, for denomination variables kappa, and for sequent variables congruity gamma factors were used. At the end of the research, the correlation between the patient scores and the nurse scores that were gathered from first, second, third, and fourth parts of the pain evaluation documents were observed: part 1, Γ = 290, p = .063; part 3/1-2, Γ = 380, p = .008, 3/1; part 3, Γ = 357, p = .007; part 3/2, Γ = 209, p = .031; part 4, Γ = 346, p < .001. The congruity points obtained from the statistical data contrast with the literature, showing that the nurses and the patients evaluated the postoperative pain in the same sense. Pain evaluation investigations are recommended to be done with the attendance of more nurses and patients, and their results should be shared with all nurses.