Do health beliefs affect pain perception after pectus excavatum repair?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2018
Identifier
DOI: 10.1007/s00383-018-4354-x
Abstract
PURPOSE: The pain experience is highly variable among patients. Psychological mindsets, in which individuals view a particular characteristic as either fixed or changeable, have been demonstrated to influence people's actions and perceptions in a variety of settings including school, sports, and interpersonal. The purpose of this study was to determine if health mindsets influence the pain scores and immediate outcomes of post-operative surgical patients.
METHODS: As part of a multi-institutional, prospective, randomized clinical trial involving patients undergoing a minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair of pectus excavatum, patients were surveyed to determine whether they had a fixed or growth health mindset. Their post-operative pain was followed prospectively and scored on a Visual Analog Scale and outcomes were measured according to time to oral pain medication use.
RESULTS: Fifty patients completed the Health Beliefs survey, 17 had a fixed mindset (8 epidural, 9 PCA) and 33 had a growth mindset (17 epidural, 16 PCA). Patients with a growth mindset had lower post-operative pain scores than patients with a fixed mindset although pain medication use was not different.
CONCLUSION: This is the first usage of health mindsets as a means to characterize the perception of pain in the post-operative period. Mindset appears to make a difference in how patients perceive and report their pain. Interventions to improve a patient's mindset could be effective in the future to improve pain control and patient satisfaction.
Journal Title
Pediatric surgery international
Volume
34
Issue
12
First Page
1363
Last Page
1367
MeSH Keywords
Adolescent; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; Attitude to Health; Female; Funnel Chest; Humans; Male; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; Pain Measurement; Pain Perception; Pain, Postoperative; Patient Satisfaction; Postoperative Period; Prospective Studies; Thoracoplasty
Keywords
Fixed; Growth; Mindset; Pain scores; Pectus excavatum; Visual Analog Scale
Recommended Citation
Sujka J, St Peter S, Mueller CM. Do health beliefs affect pain perception after pectus excavatum repair?. Pediatr Surg Int. 2018;34(12):1363-1367. doi:10.1007/s00383-018-4354-x
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