Risks associated with the use of morphine for analgesia: attitudes and perceptions amongst nursing students in French-speaking Switzerland

Abstract

Aims: This paper reports on the attitudes and perceptions of risks associated with the use of morphine for analgesia among nursing students and explores the relationship between those attitudes and perceptions and sociodemographic data. Background: Attitudes and perception of risks regarding the use of morphine for analgesia amongst nurses remain problematic, thus potentially leading to important consequences regarding the quality of pain management. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 557 nursing-students enrolled in the 3-year bachelor program was conducted in the French-speaking part of Switzerland from May to December 2010. The instrument's validity and internal reliability were tested before use. Twenty-two items evaluated attitudes and perception of risks when using morphine. Results: Attitudes and perception of risks regarding the use of morphine for analgesia are evolving significantly during the 3 years of education. Sociodemographic data have little influence, if any, on attitudes and perception of risks. Conclusion:The positive evolution of attitudes over the years of training pleads for the crucial role played by education regarding development of competency in pain management and nursing care.

Psychometric evaluation of the French version of the questionnaire attitudes towards morphine use; a cross-sectional study in Valais, Switzerland

“…The French version of the instrument was initially forward translated from Italian and then back-translated to ensure reliability of the statements. A first analysis [ 24 ] showed that two items, “It is necessary to evaluate pain (using a visual scale)” and ”The doctor must inform the patient when prescribing a drug/medicine containing morphine”, provided no information; hence, a 24-item instrument was developed and the current study is based on the 24-item French version. Also in this first analysis, of the questionnaire, the measured time to complete ranged between 20 and 25 minutes.…”

“…Most of these attitudes and beliefs have also been reported in other studies [ 19 - 22 ]. A Portuguese version has been applied among Portuguese health professionals of the Beira Interior region, South-East Portugal [ 12 , 23 ] and a French version was recently developed and applied among student nurses in French-speaking Switzerland [ 24 ]. This instrument was preferred because it was available in three different languages (Italian, Portuguese and French), which would theoretically allow comparisons between countries.…”

Attitudes towards morphine use among nurses and physicians working in French-speaking Switzerland

“…A French version of the questionnaire ("attitudes sur l'utilisation de la morphine") has been developed. 25 An initial analysis revealed two components, "morphine use and administration" and "risk perception." A more in-depth validation (Ferreira M, unpublished data, 2013) showed that the total number of items could be reduced to 19 without information loss, with a normalized Cronbach α of 0.741 for the shortened version (versus 0.700 for the original version).…”

Opioids in the Treatment of Pain. Beliefs, Knowledge, and Attitudes of the General Spanish Population. Identification of Subgroups Through Cluster Analysis

“…4 Likewise, these drugs have also been related to negative side effects, such as excessive sedation, respiratory failure, urinary retention, or constipation, among others. 5 This situation along with social, cultural, and historical factors 6 has led to what is known as opiophobia, a set of inappropriate attitudes and beliefs regarding the deleterious effects of opioid administration for pain relief. 7 This has been related to reduced prescription of these drugs by health professionals and lower consumption by patients.…”