| Learning Objective #1: Analyze problems and improvement strategies associated with the attitudes and knowledge of registered nurses regarding pain management | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Understand the status of nursing research regarding attitudes and knowledge of registered nurses regarding pain management |
A purposive sample of 186 registered nurses, employed in a moderately sized hospital in southern Georgia, was given the Nurses Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKAS) by McCaffery and Ferrell (1992) along with a demographic sheet to determine their knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management.
The mean score on the NKAS for the sample was 70.65, with a possible range of 0-100. A tally taken of questions missed on the NKAS showed that RNs' lack of knowledge regarding pain management in the hospital studied was mainly centered on knowledge of analgesics and dosing schedules.
Analysis of variance did not show significant differences in scores among the educational groups as a whole (p = 0.124). An independent samples t-test indicated a significant difference in levels of knowledge regarding pain between the associate degree group and the baccalaureate group (p = 0.025). The difference between the associate degree group and the master's group did not show statistical significance but did show a trend toward difference (p = 0.082).
Despite limitations, this study reinforces the idea that nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pain management are lacking, and it is time to better educate nurses about pain assessment and treatment in both nursing educational programs and practice settings. Additional studies are needed to fully determine the level of knowledge regarding pain of all registered nurses in various practice settings.