Knowledge of postoperative pain management among nurses in a tertiary hospital Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

Abstract

Background: POP management, like other aspects of healthcare, is a teamwork. In most health-care settings, nurses constitute the biggest health workforce and have round the clock contact with patients. Many a time knowledge among nursing staff also is inadequate so that their practices and decisions cannot be relied on. So it becomes important to analyse the scenario in a scientific way. Method: This was a cross-sectional study done on Nursing staff working in tertiarty hospital attached to KRIMS for a period of two months. Nursing staff working at KRIMS Hospital i.e, 86 Nurses formed the study sample. An adapted version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain instrument was used to test the knowledge of nurses. Results: 64% nurses had adequate knowledge on POP management. It was seen that knowledge regarding pain assessment was significantly lesser than knowledge regarding practise (chi square: 43.66, P<0.05). Conclusion: Nurses in this study self-reported inadequacy of knowledge but not alarming considering to other countries.