Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Clinical Trial
An examination of critical care nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management in hospitalized patients.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention focused on pain management. The sample consisted of 30 medical/surgical intensive care nurses (age range, 23 to 62 years) employed in a large metropolitan hospital in the southeastern United States. McCaffery and Ferrell's Nurses' Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain was administered at 2 points in time: before and after the educational program. ⋯ These results support previous research findings related to the problem of inadequate pain management in the hospital setting. Further, the findings indicate that education regarding pain control is crucial for current nursing students as well as practicing nurses. The challenge for nurses is to be responsive to and integrate current pain management techniques in an effort to decrease the discomfort of hospitalized patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Documentation of pain assessment and treatment: how are we doing?
The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate documentation of practice provided by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, physicians, and pharmacists who participated in an educational program on postoperative pain management. Chart audit of 787 patient charts at 6 sites revealed documentation of pain histories in approximately 75% of the charts, most often in the surgeon's history and physical examination. Examination of multiple assessment items indicated that the experimental group, relative to the control group, experienced an increase of more than 10% in the documentation of pain intensity, pain quality, pain duration, numeric rating scale used, pain behavior, factors that increase pain, vital signs, sedation level, cognitive status, social interaction, and mood from before the program to 6 months after the program. ⋯ Calculation of documentation of 4 items that constituted a focused assessment of postoperative pain on the surgical floor revealed a significant program effect for assessment of pain quality and pain intensity. A postprogram survey of participants in the educational program revealed an increase in discussion of postoperative pain management with other practitioners and an increase in use of a 0 to 10 scale to rate pain. More documentation of patient pain history, clinical problems, treatment, and follow-up action is needed to improve practice and research.