ACTIVE PATIENT INVOLVEMENT CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED PATIENT SATISFACTION


Active patient involvement can lead to improved patient satisfaction.1-3 Examples of possibilities for involving patients are:

  1. Providing pre-operative information
     
    • Topics such as:
       
      • What to expect
         
      • Available methods of pain treatment
         
      • Advantages/disadvantages
         
      • Risks/potential complications
         
      • Assessment routines for pain and other variables
         
      • How post-operative pain impacts mobility, recovery, etc.
         
      • What to do when experiencing pain
         
      should be included.4

      Patients can also be provided with information advising them on how they can contribute to improved clinical outcomes.4 These topics can be covered by providing verbal information, brochures, posters, videos or web pages.
       
  2. Shared decision making
     
    • It has been found that different patients desire different levels of involvement in the decision-making process.5
       
    • It is important to involve patients in decision-making to an appropriate degree.5
       
    • The following steps can be used to aid this process:6
       
Steps to aid shared decision making

 

  1. Patient screening
     
    • Patients can be screened to identify those who are at high risk for post-operative pain.7
       
    • A review has found the following to be good predictors for post-operative pain:7
       
      • Type of surgery
         
      • Age
         
      • Patient’s level of anxiety
         
      • Pre-operative pain
         

 

References

1 Niemi-Murola L et al. Patient satisfaction with postoperative pain management – effect of preoperative factors. Pain Manag Nurs. 2007; 8: 122-9.
2 Sauaia A et al. Postoperative pain management in elderly patients: correlation between adherence to treatment guidelines and patient satisfaction. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005; 53: 274-82.
3 Schwenkglenks M et al. Correlates of satisfaction with pain treatment in the acute postoperative period: results from the international PAIN OUT registry. PAIN®. 2014; 155: 1401-11.
4 European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA). Good Clinical Practice.
5 Flierler WJ et al. Implementation of shared decision making in anaesthesia and its influence on patient satisfaction. Anaesthesia. 2013;68:713-22.
6 Godolphin W. Shared decision-making. Healthc Q. 2009; 12: e186-e190.
7 Ip HYV et al. Predictors of postoperative pain and analgesic consumption. Anesthesiology.2009; 111: 657-77.

 

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