| Learning Objective #1: Learn about differences in attitudes towards pain treatment among nurses, physicians, and patients | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Learn which group needs more attention in order to improve pain management |
Negative attitudes towards pain treatment with opioids can hinder adequate pain management. Evidence shows both healthcare providers and patients can have negative attitudes. Few studies however investigated attitudes of nurses, physicians and patients within the same health care institution using comparable standardised instruments. In preparing a targeted hospital wide campaign to improve pain management with opioids we wanted to learn which group needed most attention.
The aim of this study was to compare attitudes towards pain treatment with opioids of nurses, physicians and patients within the same healthcare institution.
A cross-sectional, comparative design was used to investigate the attitudes. The randomised sample consisted of 350 nurses and 165 physicians, working in the University Hospital Leuven, Belgium. Non response was 15.7%. The patient sample consisted of 565 patients in the same hospital. Non response was 15%. Data were collected using the Opioid Attitude Scale (OAS). The theoretical score of this 5 item likert-type scale ranges from 5 to 25 and higher scores correspond with more positive attitudes. The internal consistency reliability of the OAS in this study was 0.73 (Cronbach’s alfa).
Patients had significantly more negative attitudes towards the use of opioids than nurses and physicians. The mean score on the OAS was 21/25 among healthcare providers. Patients scored only 16.5/25 (p<0.001). Fifty percent of the patients would wait until the pain is unbearable before they ask for morphine. Patients older than 63 years (p<0.001) and male patients (p<0.05) had most negative attitudes.
Negative attitudes of patients will hinder correct pain management with opioids. Open communication and information sharing between healthcare providers and patients is essential to change attitudes. We used the evidence from this study to organise a targeted hospital wide campaign in our organisation to stimulate patients and particularly elderly patients to talk about their pain: “Pain? Tell us!’’
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