Acute pain assessment practice among healthcare professionals from medical and surgical wards in brunei hospitals

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Acute pain causes discomfort and affects patients physically, psychologically and socially, delays recovery and impairs quality of life. Pain assessment is an important initial step for effective pain management. There is no empirical data on acute pain assessment practice among healthcare professionals in Brunei. Methods: Cross-sectional study of doctors and nurses working in medical-surgical units from two main referral hospitals and a cancer centre. A validated questionnaire was distributed, with a month given for response. Descriptive and multivariate regression using maximum likelihood procedures were performed. Results: There were 287 participants (83% response rate). Internal consistency of the questionnaire was good (Cronbach’s alpha >0.7). Pain assessment was not regularly practiced despite high knowledge of pain assessment (79%), awareness of the importance of pain assessment tools (95%) and availability of tools (87%). Multivariate regression demonstrated that identified enablers and barriers have significant partial mediation effects on pain assessment practice. Conclusion: There is a strong need to improve standardization of pain assessment and utilisation of assessment tools in these inpatient settings. A mandatory policy and guidelines on use of pain assessment tools as part of pain management should be recommended to improve practice.