data on the relationships between spirituality, self-health assessment, pain and physical

function. Correlating functional longitudinal data with spirituality and health assessment

would provide more pertinent information without interference from postoperative

regional analgesia.

 The implications of this study for nursing practice are that the findings of this study

support the use of spirituality and spiritual behaviors by the majority of the participants.

Good to excellent self-health assessment did change the amount of pain these participants

reported after surgery. Nurses should be more at ease in assessing a patient's spirituality

and self-health. Nurses do have to recognize that how a patient evaluates self-health may

be important in reducing postoperative joint arthroplasty pain.

 In summary, evaluating the participants' spirituality and self-health assessment

found interesting relationships between postoperative pain and analgesic medication use.

Second, these research findings have implications for further future nursing research.