What do nurses know and believe about patients with pain? Results of a hospital survey

Nurses in every area of clinical practice are confronted with the challenge of caring for patients in pain. The purpose of this study was to determine nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain in the acute and long-term care settings of a large Canadian teaching hospital. This paper reports the results of a pain survey completed by 514 nurses using the Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (Ferrell and Leek, 1990). The mean percent score was 41. Nurses with a university education scored significantly higher ( P < 0.0001) than those nurses who were not university prepared. Nurses who had attended educational sessions on pain management within the last year also scored significantly higher ( P < 0.0001) than those who had not attended. Results indicated that nurses lacked knowledge and understanding of basic pain management principles, opioid usage, and acute and chronic pain. These results supported the value of advanced educational preparation and continuing education sessions for nurses, and the need and direction for pain management programs at this hospital.