Pain Acceptance in Chronic Postoperative Pain: Concept Analysis.
Sajini M Thekkel, Constance M Johnson, Meagan Whisenant and 1 others
PMID 40000358WHAT IT FOUND
Pain acceptance means engaging in life despite chronic postoperative pain while respecting recovery limits.
It can make patients seem less in pain, so nurses should assess pain rather than assume coping means less pain.
Key findings
01Pain acceptance in chronic postoperative pain means engaging in activities despite persistent pain while following surgical recovery limits.
02The analysis identified four defining attributes: open-mindedness/receptivity, present orientation, self-acceptance, and endurance.
03A patient's willingness to function despite pain may lead caregivers and healthcare providers, including nurses, to underrate pain severity and give inadequate support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a concept analysis, not a treatment trial. It did not enroll patients, test an intervention, or measure outcomes. The model, borderline, and contrary cases are illustrative examples written by the authors, not real patients studied. The search included only English full-text studies from 2009 to 2024, so older or non-English work was left out. Only 16 articles were used, and the authors say the framework's applicability to diverse chronic pain populations is uncertain. The included evidence covered many chronic pain conditions, with fewer studies specifically about chronic postoperative pain.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a funding or conflict-of-interest declaration. The article is listed as Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read pain acceptance as proof that a patient's pain has improved or that an acceptance-based treatment works. This paper analyzes a concept, with no patients enrolled and no outcome tested.