Knowledge and attitudes of nursing students about pain management

The purpose of the present study was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of Turkish nursing students about pain management. The participants in this cross-sectional study were 190 nursing students who were studying at a nursing faculty in western Turkey. The research data were collected between March and June of the academic year 2015-2016, using a Student Description Form and the Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP). The mean age of the students in the study sample was 23.06+-1.44 years. In all, 83.7% were female, 96.8% were unmarried, 94.7% were working as a nurse, and all had social security. The mean score of the NKASRP was 15.85+-3.25%. A comparison of the knowledge scores with student characteristics revealed that only the status of current employment as a nurse demonstrated a significant difference. No significant difference was detected between the NKASRP score and variables such as age and the score of the worst pain ever experienced (p>0.05). It was determined that the students had a generally poor level of pain knowledge. It will improve the quality of life of patients if pain management is given a greater place in undergraduate education.