• Anh Trung Nguyen, Anh Kim Dang, Huong Thi Thu Nguyen, Thanh Xuan Nguyen, Tam Ngoc Nguyen, Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen, Thang Pham, Anh Lan Nguyen, Thuy Thi Ngoc Nguyen, Hien Nguyen Thi, Trang Ha Nguyen, Son Hoang Nguyen, Bach Xuan Tran, Carl Latkin, HoRoger C MRCM0000-0001-9629-4493Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119228, Singapore.Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Sin, HoCyrus S HCSH0000-0002-7092-9566Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, 119228, Singapore., and Huyen Thi Thanh Vu.
• Department of Geriatrics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, 100000, Vietnam.
• J Multidiscip Healthc. 2021 Jan 1; 14: 799-807.

BackgroundNurses play a pivotal role in pain management. Knowing more about nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain is important as we develop multidisciplinary pain services. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management among nurses in a geriatric hospital and its associated factors.Subjects And MethodsA survey was conducted of nurses worked at the National Geriatric Hospital over a 3-month period. The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) was utilized to assess nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pain management. Four domains were defined based on KASRP, included cancer-related pain, pain assessment, pharmacology and substance abuse and physical dependence. Knowledge and attitudes regarding pain were classified as poor, fair, or good (≤50%, 50% - 75%, or ≥75% of the KASRP score). Multivariate Tobit regression models were applied to identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management.ResultsOf 154 participants completed the survey, 72.2% (111 participants) had poor knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. The participants had a correct mean score of 45.2% (SD = 2.2). Nurses' knowledge of pain assessment was poor, with the proportion of correct answers to nine questions ranging from 2.6% to 50%. 44.8% of nurses reported never or rarely using pain assessment tools. Nurses who had previous training regarding pain at medical universities had significantly higher scores of knowledge and attitudes compared to those without training. Nurses who often use pain assessment tools had a significantly higher level of knowledge and attitudes than those who never or rarely use them.ConclusionThis study highlights significant deficits of knowledge and negative attitudes regarding pain management among nurses. The subject of pain management should be applied and enhanced in the nursing undergraduate curriculum. Nurses' active participation in pain management should be encouraged by healthcare providers for older patients.© 2021 Nguyen et al.

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