Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Pain Among Nurses

Abstract

Pain stands as the primary symptom reported by the majority of individuals seeking medical attention glo­bally. Among healthcare professionals, nurses have the most frequent interactions with patients, and they play a pivotal role in pain assessment and management. The knowledge and attitudes of nurses regarding pain can significantly impact the quality of pain management. Hence, it is imperative to ensure that nurses have good knowledge and positive attitudes towards pain assess­ment and management. This systematic review aims to review and analyze scien­tific literature about nurses’ knowledge and attitudes to­wards pain management. Methods: A systematic search in three databases (Pu­bMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science) was carried out between September 2023 and January 2024. Results: Five studies that fulfilled inclusion criteria show that out of 1,042 nurses only 29.76% nurses had good or fair knowledge about pain management. Mean accu­rate response score was 44%. Most nurses from selected studies 70.24% had poor knowledge and poor attitudes towards pain management. Nurses with additional pain management training during studies and nurses with more experience had better knowledge about pain ma­nagement. Conclusion: The knowledge of nursing professionals about pain was below the recommended level of 80% and their attitudes were not correct towards pain assess­ment and management. This review revealed a positive correlation between pain knowledge and prior pain ma­nagement training. Consequently, there is an urgent need to implement continues educational initiatives to enhance the knowledge level of pain management among all he­althcare personnel, including nursing professionals.