Influence of Pain Management Knowledge, Pain Management Self-Efficacy, and Empathic Capacity on Pain Management Performance of Nurses in Orthopedic Units

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of pain management knowledge, pain management self-efficacy, and empathic capacity on the pain management performance of orthopedic unit nurses.Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design using the survey. Participants were 110 orthopedic unit nurses from five university hospitals located in the B, U, and I metropolitan cities. Data collection was carried out from February 1, 2019 to March 6, 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis with IBM SPSS WIN 25.0 program.Results: Pain management performance had statistically significant positive relationships with pain management self-efficacy (r=.46, p＜.001) and empathic capacity (r=.38, p＜.001). Regarding the factors that have an influence on pain management performance, pain management self-efficacy (<i>β</i>=.33, p=.001), empathic capacity (<i>β</i>=.21, p=.024), and experience in pain management education (<i>β</i>=.18, p=.032) were the significant factors. These variables explained 26.1% of the pain management performance in orthopedic unit nurses.Conclusions: The findings would be used as a basis for effective strategies for pain management by orthopedic unit nurses in the future.