Behavioral responses and self-reported pain in postoperative patients

Pain has been difficult to assess because of its multidimensional nature. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nurse's assessment of behavioral cues to pain and self-reports of pain made by patients using patient controlled analgesia (PCA). This descriptive-correlational study used the PACU Behavioral Pain Rating Scale (BPRS), patient's self-report, and hospital's PCA pain-rating scale to investigate pain measurement. The convenience sample consisted of 36 postoperative, gynecological surgery patients. Pain assessments for this study were completed during the first 6 postoperative hours on patients who did not have complications. Five pain assessments were collected for each patient. Pain scores were highest during the immediate postoperative period and continued over 2 hours. Significant relationships (rs = 0.56 to 0.80; P < 0.05) were found between the BPRS scores and the self-reports of pain. The relationship between the hospital's PCA pain rating scores and self-reported pain was significant only during the second assessment (rs = 0.45; P < 0.05). The BPRS consistently showed a moderate to high relationship with the patient's self-report of pain and had a stronger relationship with the patient's self-reported pain than with the hospital's pain scale.