Assessing Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Management Among Nurses Working in a Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam

Abstract

Background Nurses play a pivotal role in pain management. Knowing more about nurses’ knowledge and attitudes regarding pain is important as we develop multidisciplinary pain services. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management among nurses in a geriatric hospital and its associated factors. Subjects and Methods A survey was conducted of nurses worked at the National Geriatric Hospital over a 3-month period. The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) was utilized to assess nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain management. Four domains were defined based on KASRP, included cancer-related pain, pain assessment, pharmacology and substance abuse and physical dependence. Knowledge and attitudes regarding pain were classified as poor, fair, or good (≤50%, 50% - 75%, or ≥75% of the KASRP score). Multivariate Tobit regression models were applied to identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. Results Of 154 participants completed the survey, 72.2% (111 participants) had poor knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. The participants had a correct mean score of 45.2% (SD = 2.2). Nurses’ knowledge of pain assessment was poor, with the proportion of correct answers to nine questions ranging from 2.6% to 50%. 44.8% of nurses reported never or rarely using pain assessment tools. Nurses who had previous training regarding pain at medical universities had significantly higher scores of knowledge and attitudes compared to those without training. Nurses who often use pain assessment tools had a significantly higher level of knowledge and attitudes than those who never or rarely use them. Conclusion This study highlights significant deficits of knowledge and negative attitudes regarding pain management among nurses. The subject of pain management should be applied and enhanced in the nursing undergraduate curriculum. Nurses’ active participation in pain management should be encouraged by healthcare providers for older patients.

Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Assessment and Management in Saudi Arabia

“…The knowledge and attitude deficits in the current study are similar to the results of a Mexican study (40%) [ 3 ], China (Hong Kong) (47.72%) [ 30 ], Bahrain (47.9%) [ 31 ], Jordan (41.8–48.25%) [ 5 , 10 , 32 ], Vietnam (45.2%) [ 8 ], and Eritrea (49.5%) [ 9 ]. However, the knowledge and attitude deficit in present study is lower than other studies globally (20.4–38.2%) [ 6 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], and higher than in studies outside of the K.S.A.…”

“…The total score is provided in percentage of correct answers through dividing the total number correct responses by the total number of KASRP items (X/41). The scores < 50% were classified as poor, 50% to <75% acceptable, and ≥75 as good knowledge and attitude [ 8 , 17 ]. Normality was checked and showed no major deviation and the linearity measures confirmed between dependent and independent variables.…”

“…Unalleviated pain triggers physiological and psychosocial stress responses that affect every system in the patient’s body, resulting in harmful effects [ 7 ]. These effects include fear, anxiety, sleep disturbance, hopelessness, weak memory, decreased cognitive function, social isolation, and a lowered quality of life [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]. Undertreated pain delays the mobilization of the patient, delays wounds healing, depresses immunity, slows recovery, increases the risk of complications, increases hospital stay, and healthcare costs [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ].…”

“…The effective management of pain is an important and sensitive indicator of the quality of nursing and healthcare [ 14 , 15 ]. Although achieving satisfactory pain relief needs interdisciplinary team collaboration and is an ethical and moral responsibility of all teams [ 10 , 11 , 19 ], nurses play a vital role in alleviating the patient’s pain as experts in pain assessment, management, and patient education in all healthcare settings [ 4 , 8 , 10 ]. The accurate assessment and effective management of pain require nurses to understand the concepts and acquire current knowledge, an appropriate attitude, and effective skills related to the assessment and management of pain [ 10 , 20 ].…”

“…The accurate assessment and effective management of pain require nurses to understand the concepts and acquire current knowledge, an appropriate attitude, and effective skills related to the assessment and management of pain [ 10 , 20 ]. The nurse must use a systematic process with a reliable and valid scale for precise pain assessment, believe and approve the reported pain level by the patients themselves, provide support, use pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods of pain management, and evaluate the effectiveness of the management [ 8 , 15 , 19 ]. Unfortunately, studies with nurses reported a lack of knowledge, attitude, and skills necessary for effective pain management.…”