Knowledge and Attitude of Operating Theatre Nurses towards Pain Management

Abstract

Background: Pain Management is a medical approach that draws on science and alternative healing disciplines to study the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pain. Operating theatre nurses play the leading role in pain management and require thorough knowledge and skill in managing pain. Significant: Nurses, especially those working in a palliative setting, are considered to demonstrate a high level of knowledge regarding pain management principles with adequate understanding on matters such as a vital sign of patients in response to pain and type of analgesic drugs available. Aim: This study aims to determine the knowledge and attitude regarding pain management among operating theatre nurses in Hospital Melaka. Objective To determine the knowledge and attitude towards pain management among operating theater nurses in Hospital Melaka. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was employed to determine operating theatre nurses' knowledge and attitude towards pain management in Hospital Melaka. The total sampling method was used to draw the respondents. An adapted version of The Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP) tool was used to test the knowledge and attitude of operating theatre nurses in Hospital Melaka. Normality tests were used to determine the normality of data distribution, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data to present quantitative descriptions of variables in this study. Limitations: Although this study was carefully prepared, there were some unavoidable limitations. There is a lack of time for this study because during this study was performed, and it is a pandemic COVID-19, most of the nurses do not have enough time to answer the questionnaire because of their workload. Findings: This study showed that 77.9% of operating theatre nurses in Hospital Melaka had a high level of knowledge, and 88.4% had a high attitude regarding pain management. Nurses specializing in the perioperative course have a slightly higher level of knowledge (78.2%) and attitude (87.3%) than respondents who specialized in the perioperative course. In general, all operating theatre nurses in Hospital Melaka had adequate knowledge and attitude toward pain management. Pain management is effectively managed by operating theatre nurses in the hospital. Implications: However, all nurses need to adhere to best practices in pain management by increasing their theoretical and practical knowledge to improve pain management procedures in the future.  Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Pain Management, Nurses. eISBN 978-1-913576-05-9 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., U.K. This is an open access publication under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.