Nurses knowledge, attitudes and education needs towards acute pain management in hospital settings: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

Background: Effective pain assessment and management is widely reported as sub optimal due to inadequate knowledge and negative attitudes among nurses. Aim:To determine nurses' attitudes, knowledge and education needs towards acute pain management in acute hospital settings Methods: PRISMA (2021) and guidelines from the University of York, CRD (2009) informed the design and conduct of this review. We included studies with registered nurses involved in direct adult patient care and acute pain management in hospital settings.

Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Pain Among Nurses

“…Effective pain management is important for patient recovery and high-quality safe care. However, many studies report poor levels of nurse's knowledge with subsequent accompanying negative attitudes about pain assessment and management as the cause of poor pain management (4,5). This meta-analysis supports this with less than half, 29.76% nurses having fair or adequate knowledge about pain assessment and management.…”

“…This suggests that our current nursing curriculum is not preparing nurses enough to systematically assess pain, make strong nursing care decisions, and use pain relieve medicine and methods properly and effectively. Besides, this could be result of the lack of workshops or continuous education for nurses in hospitals as such courses depend on resources from donors (3,4,10).…”

“…The American Pain Society (APS) and the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) define pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage" (1,2). Pain is the primary symptom experienced by most patients seeking medical services worldwide (3) and accounts for two-thirds of visits to emergency units in the United States (4). In Europe, it is known that almost 19% of the adult population has suffered an episode of low to medium intensity pain where the management was incorrect (3).…”

Oncology Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Factors in Cancer Pain – A Systematic Review

“…A comprehensive examination is necessary to grasp the intricate interplay between psychological, biological, and societal factors contributing to the onset and progression of cancer pain (Xie et al, 2023). This investigation is especially crucial in the context of improving medical procedures that prolong the lives of patients in the late stages of cancer, which adds complexity to the range of pain they feel (McCabe et al, 2023). When it comes to managing cancer pain, it becomes clear that nurses play a crucial role due to their direct engagement in patient care (Uzunkaya Oztoprak & Terzioglu, 2024).…”