Pain beliefs of patients and the nonpharmacological methods they use to manage the pain

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the pain beliefs of patients and nonpharmacological methods they use to manage their pain. Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted with the participation of 163 patients who were hospitalized in the medical and surgical clinics of a university hospital in May 2011. The study data were collected using personal information forms, a nonpharmacological methods form, and a pain belief scale. The data were evaluated using number, percentage, an independent sample t-test, and analysis of variance. Results: The mean age of the patients was 52.7 +/- 16.6 years, and it was determined that 23.3% were hospitalized for urinary system diseases, while 21.5% were hospitalized for musculoskeletal system diseases. It was observed that 93.8% of the patients described experiencing pain in the past, while 22.7% described experiencing severe pain within the previous week. The types of pain most frequently described by the patients were headaches (24.8%), joint pain (21.6%), and lumbar pain (19.6%). It was determined that 72.3% of the patients used medication for pain, and that 49.1% also resorted to nonpharmacological methods for their pain. Frequently preferred nonpharmacological methods included hot and cold therapy, massage, and herbal methods. The mean organic score on the pain belief scale (23.6 +/- 4.57) was higher than the mean psychological score (19.9 +/- 2.64). Conclusion: Evaluating the pain beliefs of patients and the nonpharmacological methods used is important for effective management of pain.