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

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