Reduction of Postoperative Pain by Encouragement and Instruction of Patients

Abstract

MANY reports have discussed the treatment of patients suffering after operation. Narcotics are not without danger; they also vary considerably in effectiveness. Hypnosis will reduce pain but is difficult to achieve and requires special training for the operator. Despite considerable effort the problems of treating postoperative pain remain.Janis¹ has shown that patients who were told about their operations before the procedure remembered the operation and its sequelae more favorably than those who were not well informed. We have determined the effects of instruction, suggestion and encouragement upon the severity of postoperative pain.MethodWe studied 97 patients after elective . . .