Registered Nurses’ Perception about Pain Management of Hospitalized Patients in One of the Governmental Hospitals in Dubai, UAE: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Chronic and acute pain are highly prevalent, especially among hospitalized surgical patients, patients with cancer, and general medical inpatients. More than 50% of patients experience significant pain. Health professionals’ knowledge and attitude concerning pain management have often been referred to as insufficient. This study explored the attitudes and knowledge of nurses working in one of the government hospitals in the UAE, with regard to pain management. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional design was used to examine nurses’ perception (knowledge and attitude) about pain using the Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP). We targeted the nursing field in order to assess nurses’ perceptions of pain management. A convenience sample of 200 nurses working at one of the government hospitals in the UAE participated in this study. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Participants who scored <75% were considered to have poor knowledge and a nonstandard attitude. Participants who scored >75% were considered to have adequate knowledge and a positive attitude. The study revealed that the knowledge and attitude percentage means of correct answers about pain management was 61% (SD: ±11.97%; 95% CI 59.33–62.6%). Inadequate knowledge and attitude featured in 89.5% and adequate knowledge and attitude in 10.5% of all participants. Previous pain management education experience was statistically significant <i>p</i> < 0.05. <b><i>Conclusion and Recommendation:</i></b> This study showed that nurses reflected an inadequate knowledge and attitude regarding pain management. Nurses’ perception about pain management was higher among younger staff than those with longer experience. Pain management education has an impact on knowledge and attitude. There is a need to follow innovative approaches in training. Pain management education is an essential part of the nursing orientation program and should be conducted throughout the year to target all nurses. New evidence-based approaches to pain management among nurses should be explored and tested, using the NKASRP as a baseline and follow-up measure.

Nurses Experience and Perceived Challenges of Using Nonpharmacological Pain Interventions for Musculoskeletal Pain: A Qualitative Study

“…A positive association was reported between workload and nurses' tendency to perceive analgesic administration as fast-acting in comparison to NPPCM (Lucas & Bevan, 2020). Moreover, the workload can negatively impact nurses' practices in using NPPCM by hindering them from attending pain management classes (Abu baker et al, 2019), which subsequently leads to poor knowledge and negatively impacts the utilization of NPPCM (Adams et al, 2020). On the other hand, a study by Uysal and Yilmazer (2021) reported poor utilization of NPPCM due to the lack of time associated with the workload.…”

“…Despite robust evidence of their benefits, NPPCM remains underutilized in clinical practice. Studies reveal nurses often have unfavorable attitudes about using NPPCM, stemming from knowledge gaps (Abu baker et al, 2019). Even nurses with adequate knowledge exhibit reluctance to adopt NPPCM into routine care (Jira et al, 2020; Zeleke et al, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, updated guidelines recommend a multimodal approach using both pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions (El-Tallawy et al, 2021). Although research shows that nonpharmacological pain measures are effective, safe, and feasible (Tang et al, 2019), studies reveal that nurses underutilize them across various healthcare settings (Abu baker et al, 2019; Awad & Hashem, 2019; Khalil, 2018; Kia et al, 2021).…”