For many people, postoperative pain is suboptimally controlled, however, limited information is available about pain from the patient's perspective. OBJECTIVES: A purpose of this pilot study was to describe patients' postoperative pain after abdominal or orthopedic surgery. METHODS: Seventeen persons who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), or total hip or knee replacement (THR, TKR) between August and November 1999 completed a modified version of the American Pain Society (APS) Quality Improvement questionnaire within 24 hours before leaving the hospital. Pain was rated on a 0 (no pain) - 10 (worst pain possible) analog scale. RESULTS: Mean age was 43.7 years for TAH (n = 7), 55.0 years for THR (n = 4), and 61.8 years for TKR patients (n = 6). Mean length of stay (days) was 3.6 overall, 3.2 for TAH, 3.8 for THR, and 4.2 for TKR. All patients had pain within 24 hours before leaving the hospital. At the time patients completed the survey, mean pain levels were 4.1, 3.2, and 2.2 for persons after TAH, THR, and TKR, respectively. Mean worst pain was 9.1, 7.8, and 8.0 for TAH, THR, and TKR patients, respectively. Pain was most severe on the first or second day after surgery for 86.7%, 75.0%, and 100% of TAH, THR, and TKR patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain was most severe on the first and second days after surgery for most patients. Postoperative pain levels at discharge suggest that patients will require additional analgesia at home.