Use of guided imagery and music: For pain management satisfaction in the total joint replacement patient

Although national pain management guidelines exist, satisfaction with pain management remains a serious problem for both patients and the healthcare system. Inadequate pain management is especially harmful to postoperative patients who have undergone elective Total Joint Replacement (TJR) surgery because it limits participation in physical therapy, delays return to daily activities, and increases the risk of postoperative complications. Assessment of patient satisfaction is advocated by the Quality Improvement Committee of the American Pain Society (APS), the Acute Pain Management Guideline Panel of Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) and the American Society of Anesthesiology practice guidelines for acute pain management. Patient satisfaction with pain management can be considered to be an indicator of the quality of pain care management. Anesthesia-based pain services evaluate the quality of perioperative pain management based on patient satisfaction reporting. Patient dissatisfaction with pain management can negatively influence hospital performance ratings.;The use of mind-body therapies such as Guided Imagery (GI) and music, integrated into traditional pharmacologic pain management protocols, are effective interventions that can increase patient satisfaction with pain management. Twenty five patients scheduled for elective joint replacement surgery participated in this Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project using GI and music during their perioperative experience. Both relaxation imagery and mental rehearsal imagery were used. It was found that the use of GI and music as an integrative pain management intervention for adult patients undergoing elective TJR surgery is associated with a greater patient satisfaction with pain management as measured by the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey.