The Attitude and Performance of Nurses Regarding Pain Management in the Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department

Pain management is essential in the emergency room (ER) care plan, and nurses play a key role in this regard. The positive attitude and proper performance of the healthcare staff is critical in pain management, which is an important patients' right. The present study aimed to assess the attitude and performance of nurses regarding pain management in the patients admitted to the ER.

This cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted on 150 nurses employed in the ERs of the hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2018. The eligibility criteria were the minimum of bachelor's degree/higher in nursing and six months of work experience in the ER. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the questionnaire of performance regarding pain management. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The mean age of the participants was 31.98±5.52 years, and the majority (82.9%) had no prior training on pain management. Regarding pain management in the ER, the mean scores of attitude and performance were 57.16±5.022 and 6.02±2.53, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the mean scores of attitude and performance with the demographic characteristics.

According to the results, the nurses had moderate attitudes toward pain management, and although their self-report indicated proper performance in this regard, they had inadequate knowledge regarding the use of pain management tools. Therefore, it is recommended that proper education and in-service re-training be provided for the promotion of proper pain management in the patients and increasing the quality of care, as well as proper training on the use of pain assessment measures.