Other Titles
Nurses Attitudes and Clinical Decisions Related to Pain Management
Abstract
Session presented on Monday, July 27, 2015:
Purpose: Pain is part of the human experience. The management of pain is a problem of significant magnitude in the United States. It is one of the most common symptoms that bring patients into the healthcare system. Nurses are on the forefront of this issue with the capacity to assess and respond to patients' needs. Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain can predict the nurses' ability to adequately meet patients' pain reduction needs. In order to address patients' pain and manage it appropriately, nurses need to be confident in their understanding and assessment of pain. It is therefore fitting to investigate nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain, so as to be able to plan for successful interventions. A study was conducted to replicate a 1996 survey comparing outcomes of the attitudes and knowledge regarding pain survey of a convenience sample of medical-surgical nurses in 2013 with nurses from 1996 to determine if attitudes towards pain have changed.
Methods: A Cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative design was used. The Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP) and a demographic survey were utilized to assess the nurses' knowledge level and attitudes toward pain and pain management. A convenience sample of nurses (n=55) from nine in-patient, medical-surgical units at a large multi-facility health care system volunteered to participate.
Results: No significant differences were found between the attitudes on pain from the 1996 and 2013 respondents. The mean score on the NKASRP was 67%. No significant correlations were identified between any demographic variable and nurses' scores.
Conclusion: Despite increased educational preparation since 1996, the mean score on the NKASRP remained well below what is considered average knowledge. Patients continue to be under-medicated or not medicated for their pain. This presentation will present these'findings as well as strategies to evaluate pain and meet the needs of our patients in pain.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Pain and Pain Management, Nurses' Attitudes, Nurses' Knowledge
Recommended Citation
Tortorella-Genova, Toni and Marshall, Brenda, "Medicating patients for pain: How well do we meet their needs?" (2016). INRC (Congress). 333.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2015/presentations_2015/333
Conference Name
26th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Conference Year
2015
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Medicating patients for pain: How well do we meet their needs?
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Session presented on Monday, July 27, 2015:
Purpose: Pain is part of the human experience. The management of pain is a problem of significant magnitude in the United States. It is one of the most common symptoms that bring patients into the healthcare system. Nurses are on the forefront of this issue with the capacity to assess and respond to patients' needs. Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain can predict the nurses' ability to adequately meet patients' pain reduction needs. In order to address patients' pain and manage it appropriately, nurses need to be confident in their understanding and assessment of pain. It is therefore fitting to investigate nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain, so as to be able to plan for successful interventions. A study was conducted to replicate a 1996 survey comparing outcomes of the attitudes and knowledge regarding pain survey of a convenience sample of medical-surgical nurses in 2013 with nurses from 1996 to determine if attitudes towards pain have changed.
Methods: A Cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative design was used. The Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP) and a demographic survey were utilized to assess the nurses' knowledge level and attitudes toward pain and pain management. A convenience sample of nurses (n=55) from nine in-patient, medical-surgical units at a large multi-facility health care system volunteered to participate.
Results: No significant differences were found between the attitudes on pain from the 1996 and 2013 respondents. The mean score on the NKASRP was 67%. No significant correlations were identified between any demographic variable and nurses' scores.
Conclusion: Despite increased educational preparation since 1996, the mean score on the NKASRP remained well below what is considered average knowledge. Patients continue to be under-medicated or not medicated for their pain. This presentation will present these'findings as well as strategies to evaluate pain and meet the needs of our patients in pain.