Imagery instruction and the control of postsurgical pain

This study examined the effectiveness of an innovative method of pain control, pleasant imagery, for the management of acute postsurgical pain in 32 individuals having elective surgery. In the experimental group, 16 preoperative subjects received procedural information and instruction regarding the use of pleasant imagery to control pain. In the control group, 16 subjects received procedural information only. Scores on a visual analogue scale and recorded doses of analgesics administered postoperatively provided measures of perceived pain and analgesic consumption, respectively. The t test for independent means showed that patients who used pleasant imagery perceived significantly less postsurgical pain and consumed significantly less pain medication than did the control group (p less than .05). These findings suggest that nurses can enhance the management of postoperative pain by teaching patients to use pleasant imagery.