Abstract
Session presented on: Thursday, July 25, 2013:
Purpose: To describe nurse practitioners' (NPs) knowledge and adherence to national practice guidelines on the pharmacological management of persistent pain in older adults
Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study which included a convenience sample of 424 NPs attending a national NP conference. The study describes NPs knowledge and adherence to clinical guidelines on the pharmacological management of persistent pain in older adults. NPs knowledge and adherence were compared with recommendations from the AGS (2009) guideline titled Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons. The instruments used in this study were a background data questionnaire and the Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Adults Survey.
Results: The findings revealed NPs' prescribing practices adhered to current recommendations to a greater extent than did having knowledge of specific recommendations. The majority of NP participants relied on NSAIDs/COX-2 and opioid analgesics equally. NPs with full prescriptive authority (M = 27.83, SD = 3.30) were more likely to adhere to guideline recommendations than those without controlled substances prescribing privileges (M = 26.84, SD = 3.49); t(408) = 2.40, p = .02. NPs who reported attending continuing education on the management of pain in older adults were more knowledgeable and adherent to the clinical practice guidelines.
Conclusion: NP participants' knowledge and prescribing practices in the management of persistent pain in older adults and evidenced based practice guidelines may be narrowing. Tremendous opportunities exist in graduate nursing education to expand NPs' competencies in the management and prescribing of analgesics in the treatment of persistent pain in older adults. As primary providers, NPs advocate for older adults who suffer from persistent pain and must ensure that they receive the best type of analgesic regardless of the author of the prescription.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Mu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Pain, Practice Guideline, Opioid
Recommended Citation
Peraza-Smith, George Byron and Duffy, Evelyn, "Nurse practitioner adherence to national guidelines on the management of persistent pain in older adults" (2013). INRC (Congress). 47.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2013/presentations_2013/47
Conference Name
24th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Prague, Czech Republic
Conference Year
2013
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Nurse practitioner adherence to national guidelines on the management of persistent pain in older adults
Prague, Czech Republic
Session presented on: Thursday, July 25, 2013:
Purpose: To describe nurse practitioners' (NPs) knowledge and adherence to national practice guidelines on the pharmacological management of persistent pain in older adults
Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study which included a convenience sample of 424 NPs attending a national NP conference. The study describes NPs knowledge and adherence to clinical guidelines on the pharmacological management of persistent pain in older adults. NPs knowledge and adherence were compared with recommendations from the AGS (2009) guideline titled Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons. The instruments used in this study were a background data questionnaire and the Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Adults Survey.
Results: The findings revealed NPs' prescribing practices adhered to current recommendations to a greater extent than did having knowledge of specific recommendations. The majority of NP participants relied on NSAIDs/COX-2 and opioid analgesics equally. NPs with full prescriptive authority (M = 27.83, SD = 3.30) were more likely to adhere to guideline recommendations than those without controlled substances prescribing privileges (M = 26.84, SD = 3.49); t(408) = 2.40, p = .02. NPs who reported attending continuing education on the management of pain in older adults were more knowledgeable and adherent to the clinical practice guidelines.
Conclusion: NP participants' knowledge and prescribing practices in the management of persistent pain in older adults and evidenced based practice guidelines may be narrowing. Tremendous opportunities exist in graduate nursing education to expand NPs' competencies in the management and prescribing of analgesics in the treatment of persistent pain in older adults. As primary providers, NPs advocate for older adults who suffer from persistent pain and must ensure that they receive the best type of analgesic regardless of the author of the prescription.