A pain monitoring program for nurses: effects on nurses' pain knowledge and attitude

One of the reasons for inadequate pain treatment in hospitalized patients is that nurses have insufficient knowledge about pain and pain management. To address this problem, a Pain Monitoring Program (PMP) for nurses was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The PMP consisted of two components: educating nurses about pain, pain assessment, and pain management, and implementing daily pain assessment by means of a numeric rating scale. The effects of the PMP were measured in a one-group pretest–post-test design. The results show that nurses have knowledge deficits and prejudices with regard to pain and pain management. Age and additional pain courses in pain partly predict nurses' pain knowledge. After nurses were educated, the average score on the Pain Knowledge Questionnaire increased from 69.1% (SD = 13.2) at pretest to 75.8% (SD = 11.5) at post-test (P < 0.001). Nurses' attitudes changed with regard to their level of knowledge and skills in relieving pain, willingness to assess pain on a daily basis, and attention to patients' pain complaints. It can be concluded that the PMP is effective in improving nurses' knowledge of pain management and focusing nurses' attention to patients' pain complaints.     

Effects of a pain education program on nurses' pain knowledge, attitudes and pain assessment practices in China

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of a Pain Education Program (PEP) for nurses in China. The effects of PEP were measured in a quasi-experimental design. A total of 196 nurses who met the inclusion criteria from five nursing units in two teaching hospitals participated in the study. Randomization took place at the hospital level to select experimental and control groups. The research intervention was the PEP, which had two components: (1) to educate nurses about pain management and (2) to implement daily pain assessment by using the Changhai Pain Scale. The duration of PEP was five weeks and intervention methods included focused education, group activity, and individual instruction. After the baseline data were collected, PEP was implemented in the experimental group. The control group (n = 90) received no intervention, and the experimental group (n = 106) received six hours of focused education training. During the fourth and fifth weeks of the training program, the researcher and the faculty instructed nurses in five nursing units on how to use the Changhai Pain Scale to assess patients’ pain levels and demonstrated how to document pain condition in the nursing records. Nurses in both groups filled out a set of questionnaires, which included a background information form and the Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitude Survey form, before the PEP (T1), at one month after the PEP (T2), and at three months after the PEP (T3). Nurses in the experimental group who received the PEP had a significant improvement in their pain knowledge and attitudes. Their scores on the Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitude Survey increased from 15.67 at T1 to 26.13 at T2 and 35.14 at T3. The scores of nurses in the control group were unchanged (from 15.20 at T1 to 14.29 at T2 and 14.93 at T3, P > 0.05). In addition, experimental group nurses had an improvement in pain assessment. The percentage of nurses who correctly used the Changhai Pain Scale to assess patients’ pain intensity increased significantly after the PEP, and the increased usage of the assessment tool between experimental and control groups also shows a statistical difference in trend (χ²=93.281, P < 0.001). The PEP has been demonstrated to be effective in improving nurses’ pain knowledge, attitudes, and assessment.     

Daily pain assessment: value for nurses and patients

Current guidelines for pain management recommend systematic assessment of pain. A few standardized tools exist for the daily assessment of pain intensity, for example the numeric rating scale or visual analogue scale, yet these instruments are rarely used by nurses. In the study reported in this paper, a numeric rating scale accompanied by an educational programme for nurses, was implemented in three hospitals. The paper describes the feasibility of daily pain assessment from the nurses' and patients' perspective in multiple settings. The outcomes studied were the professional compliance of nurses with daily pain assessment, and the value of daily pain assessment for both nurses and patients. The results show that nurses' compliance with daily pain assessment is high (73.9%) and that daily pain assessment is feasible and valued by nurses; however, differences between the three hospitals and two specialties (medical vs. surgical wards) were found. Although patients have difficulty with expressing their pain by use of a number, almost all patients are able to give a pain score and a majority is positive about daily pain assessment. From this study it can be concluded that daily pain assessment is practical and appreciated by nurses as well as patients, but attuning the implementation protocol to the needs of the specific setting is necessary.     

Video education for critical care nurses to assess pain with a behavioural pain assessment tool: A descriptive comparative study

AimTo evaluate the impact of video education on critical care nurses’ knowledge and skills in using a behavioural pain assessment tool for intensive care patients and to explore the nurses’ experiences with video education.MethodsForty-eight nurses in one intensive care unit watched an educational video on the use of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool, then assessed pain in two patients with the tool and took a knowledge test. The researcher made parallel pain assessments. Interrater reliability of patients’ pain assessment between nurses and the researcher was determined to examine nurses’ skills in using the tool after education. Twenty nurses were interviewed about their experiences with the video education. Interviews were analysed with deductive thematic analysis.ResultsThe knowledge test scores indicated that the nurses learned the principles of how to use the tool. The interrater reliability of pain assessments reached a moderate level of agreement during the painful procedure, with a weighted kappa coefficient value of 0.48, CL [0.37, 0.58]. The nurses perceived video education positively, but requested additional interaction.ConclusionsVideo education is useful in teaching the principles of using a pain assessment tool. Additional clinical training is required for nurses to reach adequate skills in using the tool.     

The implementation of a Pain Monitoring Programme for nurses in daily clinical practice: results of a follow-up study in five hospitals

AIMS OF THE STUDY: To study the effects of the implementation of a Pain Monitoring Programme (PMP) for nurses in daily clinical practice. In addition, nurses' and physicians' pain knowledge and attitudes were studied, as well as change in nurses' pain knowledge after implementation of the programme. RATIONALE: The rationale for the study was that many hospitalized patients suffer from pain and treatment of pain is often inadequate. BACKGROUND: Reasons for inadequate treatment of pain are the failure of nurses to assess pain on a daily basis and insufficient knowledge about pain and pain management in both nurses and physicians. The PMP tried to overcome these barriers by implementing daily pain assessment and educating nurses about pain and pain management. RESEARCH METHODS: This follow-up study was conducted in five hospitals. In total, 277 nurses and 115 physicians participated. The implementation and long-term effects of the programme were measured with a pretest-post-test design without a control group. RESULTS: Results showed that nurses carried out daily pain assessment in at least 75% of patients during the first 5 months of the intervention period, but in the remaining 2 months professional compliance gradually decreased. Both nurses and physicians are positive about daily pain assessment and want to continue with it. The level of nurses' and physicians' knowledge about pain and pain management is moderate. The programme increased nurses' knowledge and satisfaction regarding the quality of pain treatment. DISCUSSION: Because professional compliance decreased after 5 months, incentives are needed to motivate nurses to continue with daily pain assessment. Continuous Quality Improvement may be a useful method to guide the implementation process. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results it can be concluded that it is possible to implement the PMP in daily clinical practice. Moreover, the beneficial effects of our programme on nurses' knowledge and attitudes have been demonstrated. Therefore, participating hospitals were advised to continue and extend the programme and other hospitals are encouraged to implement it.     

Effects of 'pain-advisers': district nurses' opinions regarding their own knowledge, management and documentation of patients in chronic pain

This study investigated whether district nurses' opinions changed after the education and introduction of district nurses as 'pain-advisers' at primary health care centres (PHCCs) regarding working conditions and satisfaction with pain control management at their PHCCs, their own knowledge of pain control and satisfaction with their own pain control management, pain assessment and nursing documentation of patients with chronic pain conditions. A study area (SA) with five PHCCs and a control area (CA) with seven PHCCs were selected. In the SA, 28 and in the CA, 25 district nurses answered a questionnaire both before and after the introduction of the 'pain-advisers' into the SA. The district nurses in both areas in 1996 and 1998 considered many aspects of pain management to be unsatisfactory. According to the district nurses in the SA, several statistically significant improvements were achieved after the introduction of the 'pain-advisers'; more district nurses reported that pain policies or other written information were now available at their PHCCs, that they were more satisfied with present overall routines at their PHCCs, that a better pain control was applied at their PHCCs regarding patients with leg ulcers, that they themselves to a greater extent performed individual pain assessments of the patients and that they more often used pain visual analogue scales to assess the patients' pain and to evaluate the results of the pain treatment. They also reported an increased satisfaction with their own nursing documentation. Although much remains to be done, it must be acknowledged that the 'pain-advisers', with relatively small resources, managed to make significant improvements.     

The quality of postoperative pain management from the perspectives of patients, nurses and patient records

AIM: To study the quality of postoperative pain management in a university hospital. METHOD: Paired patient and nurse assessments of the patient's pain management were conducted in two departments, complemented with audit of patient records. The Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management questionnaire was answered by 121 patients and 47 Registered Nurses. RESULTS: Of 14 items in the Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management questionnaire, four items in general surgery and five items in thoracic surgery reached the threshold for high quality of care. No significant differences were found between the assessments in the two departments, but the patients in general surgery experienced more pain than the patients in thoracic surgery. In general surgery, the patients assessed their worst pain significantly higher than the nurse did. The patients who experienced more pain than expected were less satisfied with the quality of their care and experienced higher pain intensity levels. For 25 (41.0%) patients in general surgery and four (6.7%) patients in thoracic surgery, pain intensity was documented according to hospital quality goals. CONCLUSION: In both departments, areas for improvements could be found in all subscales of the Strategic and Clinical Quality Indicators in Postoperative Pain Management questionnaire, i.e. communication, action, trust and environment. It is important to discuss what information the patient needs, as well as how and when it should be given. Furthermore, considering earlier pain experience and the goal of pain relief for the individual patient may facilitate an adequate assessment of the patient's pain. In future, electronic health records have the potential to support the use of clinical guidelines.     

Implementation of the pain and symptom assessment record (PSAR)

BACKGROUND: Symptom control is a major component of care for the terminally ill patients. Although uncontrolled pain is distressing for patients and families, there are other symptoms that can be distressing such as dyspnea and fatigue. Determining methods to consistently assess and manage pain and other symptoms is a challenge for nurses, physicians and other health care professionals. In the Ottawa Region of Canada, health care providers raised concerns related to inconsistencies in pain assessment due to a variety of formats used, as the patient moved through the health care system. Recognizing the need for a common assessment tool, a working group was formed composed of 14 nurses associated with institutions and agencies delivering palliative care services in the Ottawa region, as well as a faculty member of the School of Nursing of the University of Ottawa. The mandate of the working group was to develop a consistent method to assess patients' pain and symptoms in order to facilitate communication among health care professionals within various health care settings. The Pain and Symptom Assessment Record (PSAR) was developed over 24 months. AIM: To determine the feasibility of implementing the PSAR in a variety of settings. METHODS: This exploratory study used focus groups and chart audits to gather data related to the utility of the PSAR. Education sessions were used to introduce the tool to nurses in the various settings. RESULTS: The tool was implemented in 12 settings. Thirty-seven education sessions were given to nurses prior to use of the tool and the feedback revealed that this is an important process in tool introduction. The results of the chart audits indicated that pain was assessed 93% of the time. Symptoms were less documented but fatigue was most prominent. Overall, patients were satisfied with their pain and symptom control. Data from the focus groups were analysed using content analysis and the two themes that emerged related to the tool were 'structure' and 'process'. CONCLUSION: There were many challenges in this project and lessons learned will be discussed. Based on the results, the tool has been modified and is currently utilized in diverse settings.     

社区护士护理文件书写相关知识管理现状调查

目的:了解社区护理人员在家庭护理过程中护理文件书写现状。方法:采用自设问卷,对16家社区卫生服务机构94名社区护理人员进行问卷调查。结果:94例社区护士中44例(46.8%)不熟悉病历书写规范;70例(74.5%)认为病人有权复印护理记录单、医疗病历、病程记录等资料;74例(78.1%)不了解因抢救急危病人未能及时书写护理记录,应在6小时内核实后据实补记;89例(94.7%)认为试用期人员经医疗机构审核可以独立书写护理记录;15例(16.0%)不能够在完成家庭护理后即刻完成护理记录;49例(52.1%)护士在家庭护理的病人无签字能力时,经病人口头授权会让保姆代签。结论:社区护理人员医疗文书书写相关知识掌握不足,应针对家庭护理过程中如何完善护理记录的知识进行培训。     

Effect of establishing pain committee on the pain assessment skills of paediatric nurses

Successful pain management relies on pain assessment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of establishing pain committee on pain assessment skills of paediatric nurses. We used a quasi‐experimental design. The study was conducted in surgery, emergency and orthopaedic wards of two teaching hospitals selected through simple random sampling. The intervention consisted of establishing a pain committee, the steps of which included organizing (3 months), holding workshop (five sessions) and clinical training (1 week). We found that the scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Therefore, establishing pain committee in the management level of nursing improves nurses' pain assessment skills.     

Increasing the pipeline and diversity of doctorally prepared nurses: Description and preliminary evaluation of a health disparities summer research program

Despite calls to increase the number and diversity of doctorally prepared nurses, recent data indicate a severe shortage of PhD‐prepared nurses, especially those of racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. This is concerning, given that evidence indicates that racial/ethnic minority PhD‐prepared nurses are well‐positioned to address health disparities, by attending to the needs/concerns of medically underrepresented groups. The purpose of this article is to describe and provide a preliminary evaluation of a summer research program for minority nursing students. Online surveys were administered to assess for student satisfaction, knowledge gains, attitudes toward research, and intentions to pursue a PhD among minority undergraduate nursing students (N = 6) participating in the 10‐week program. Favorable trends were observed related to satisfaction, knowledge gains, and attitudes toward research. Fifty percent of the sample intended to pursue a PhD immediately after the program, compared to none before the program, and this result was maintained at 1‐year post‐program. The summer research program appears to be a promising strategy for increasing the number/diversity of PhD‐prepared nurses. More research on the implementation of programs exposing minority nursing students to health disparities research is needed to strengthen evidence that similar programs can serve to increase the pipeline of diverse doctorally prepared nurses.     

重症监护病房语言交流障碍患者疼痛评估的研究进展

疼痛评估是做好患者疼痛管理的第一步。本文综述了重症监护病房语言交流障碍患者5个疼痛评估量表的研究与应用,包括疼痛行为量表、疼痛干预计数法、成人非语言疼痛量表、非语言疼痛评估量表及重症监护疼痛观察量表;介绍了疼痛评估生理指标的意义,为我国医护工作者科学地评估该类患者的疼痛程度提供参考。     

Cancer-related pain in palliative care: patients' perceptions of pain management

BACKGROUND: Pain is still a significant problem for many patients with cancer, despite numerous, clear and concise guidelines for the treatment of cancer-related pain. The impact of pain cognition on patients' experiences of cancer-related pain remains relatively unexplored. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe how patients with cancer-related pain in palliative care perceive the management of their pain. METHOD: Thirty patients were strategically selected for interviews with open-ended questions, designed to explore the pain and pain management related to their cancer. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. FINDINGS: Patients described 10 different perceptions of pain and pain management summarized in the three categories: communication, planning and trust. In terms of communication, patients expressed a need for an open and honest dialogue with health care professionals about all problems concerning pain. Patients expressed an urgent need for planning of their pain treatment including all caring activities around them. When they felt trust in the health care organization as a whole, and in nurses and physicians in particular, they described improved ability and willingness to participate in pain management. While the findings are limited to patients in palliative care, questions are raised about others with cancer-related pain without access to a palliative care team. CONCLUSION: The opportunity for patients to discuss pain and its treatment seems to have occurred late in the course of disease, mostly not until coming in contact with a palliative care team. They expressed a wish to be pain-free, or attain as much pain relief as possible, with as few side effects as possible.     

The impact of documentation on communication during patient-physiotherapist interactions: A qualitative observational study

Documentation is an essential component of physiotherapy practice for clinical, legal, and ethical reasons. Research in other healthcare contexts suggests that documentation impacts upon communication in patient–practitioner interactions. Thus, the objective of this qualitative study was to examine how physiotherapists and their patients communicate during episodes of documentation. The research was informed by ethnomethodology and ethnography. In total, 113 patient–physiotherapist interactions were observed in Switzerland and Australia with video-recordings, audio-recordings, and field notes collected as data. Episodes of documentation within these interactions were transcribed, and both verbal and non-verbal communication were analyzed inductively. Analysis identified that communication during documentation was characterized by: pauses in conversation, pre-established order of questioning, minimal eye contact, use of direct communication, and an emphasis on objectivity. The use of documentation was observed to alter the wording of questioning as well as the sequence and flow of conversation between patient and physiotherapist. In addition, the observed communicative features seemed to restrict patient participation, and may hinder the achievement of a patient-centered approach. Recognizing the importance of documentation, we address the challenges that our research highlighted by proposing strategies to assist educators and clinicians to optimize communication with patients when incorporating documentation into practice.     

护生沟通能力培养标准及评价的研究进展

介绍了国内外有关医学生及护生沟通能力培养的标准及其沟通能力的评价，提出我国护生沟通能力的培养标准及评价的研究应借鉴国外的经验，总结出一套适合我国国情的培养模式。     

护生沟通能力培养标准及评价的研究进展

介绍了国内外有关医学生及护生沟通能力培养的标准及其沟通能力的评价,提出我国护生沟通能力的培养标准及评价的研究应借鉴国外的经验,总结出一套适合我国国情的培养模式。