Effect of Preoperative Pain Education on Anxiety, Pain, and Analgesic Use in Total Knee and Hip Replacement Patients

The Effect of Pain Education Given to Patients Before Total Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery on Anxiety, Pain and Analgesic Use: A Randomized Controlled Study

This randomized controlled trial evaluates whether a standardized preoperative pain education session delivered by a nurse reduces postoperative pain intensity and surgical anxiety among adult elective orthopedic surgery patients compared with usual care.

Primary outcome is postoperative pain at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, analgesic consumption, patient satisfaction, and length of stay

Adult patients scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery will be randomized (1:1) to receive either (a) a structured 20-30-minute preoperative pain education session plus booklet and video, or (b) usual care alone. Pain intensity measured with NRS at 1, 6,12, 24, 48h postop; analgesics recorded Day 0, 1, 2; preop anxiety measured with Surgical Anxiety Scale in both groups. Intention-to-treat analysis.

Inclusion criteria:

• Being 18 years of age or older,
• Providing voluntary informed consent to participate in the study,
• Scheduled to undergo elective knee or hip joint replacement (arthroplasty) surgery,
• Having no communication barriers,
• Having no history of alcohol or substance dependence,
• Having no concurrent diagnosis of malignant disease and not receiving cancer treatment,
• Not using opioid medications regularly in the preoperative period,
• Having an ASA score of III or below,
• Having no cognitive impairment that would affect the ability to comprehend the provided education,
• Having no diagnosed neurological or psychiatric disorder and not using medications related to such conditions.

Exclusion criteria:

- Patients who do not meet the specified inclusion criteria will not be included in the study.

Elimination criteria:

• Indication for postoperative intensive care,
• Development of major complications after surgery, such as massive bleeding or pulmonary embolism,
• Requesting to withdraw from the study at any stage,
• Use of a patient-controlled analgesia device postoperatively