Relaxation and music have been tested for their effects in reducing pain, but it was important to measure whether patients could use these interventions correctly. The purpose was to report the development and psychometric properties of the Relaxation Mastery Scale (RMS), a brief observational scale, to measure patients’ skill in using relaxation or sedative music tapes for pain management after surgery. The items were determined by a literature review and indicated four observations to be made as patients began relaxing to the tape and at the end: face relaxed, grimace absent, respirations slow, and talking absent. Each was scored as yes=1 or no=2, and scores could range from 4 to 8. Mastery was defined as 7. The first 238 abdominal surgery patients receiving relaxation and music were included in this preliminary analysis. They were 48±12 years, 65% female, 69% white, and 73% with some college. Patients listened to the tape for 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon on the first two postoperative days, and mastery was measured at the beginning and end. Mastery scores ranged from 7.08 to 7.40 for pretest, and increased, 7.35 to 7.58 at posttest. Test-retest reliability was supported by significant positive pre to posttest correlations over 20 minutes, r=.53 to .64, that were stronger than the correlations at the same time points each day, r=.32 to .42. Using paired t-tests, predictive validity was supported by significant increases in mastery over 20 minutes of relaxation and music on both days, p< .001, except on day 2 afternoon. This mastery scale has initial reliability and validity and can be used by nurse researchers to document correct use of relaxation and music tapes and to study the relationships between mastery and reported pain and sleep. More psychometric testing is needed.
Session #1200 - Self Care
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)