Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Pain Management among Staff Nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. Pain is a universal phenomenon; likewise effective pain management should be universal response by nurses. Nurses must be highly competent, knowledgeable and possess positive attitudes towards pain management so that patients receive high quality pain management practices to facilitate optimal patient health outcomes. Aim and objectives: The present study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of staff nurses regarding pain management at Kular Hospital, Bija (Punjab). Material and methods: A descriptive survey approach was used for the study. Convenient sampling was used to select 50 staff nurses working in at Kular Hospital, Bija (Punjab). Data was collected using self structured tools. Results: The results of the study revealed that the majority of the respondents i.e. 33(66%) had average knowledge, 10(20%) had poor knowledge and only 07(14%) of respondents had good knowledge related to pain management. The majority of respondents i.e 37(74%) was having a negative attitude towards pain management only 13(26%) was having a positive attitude towards pain management. The knowledge of staff nurses was found to be associated with their attitude towards pain management. Conclusion: The study result concluded that 66% staff nurses had average knowledge and 13% staff nurses had positive attitude towards pain management. So, it is necessary to develop continuing education programmes for staff nurses to increase their knowledge regarding pain management and to develop a positive attitude among staff nurses.