Final Year Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes regarding Children’s Pain

Pain is one of the commonest reasons why children visit the hospital. Inadequately treated pain in children can negatively affect their physical, psychological, and social well-being; it also places financial burden on families of affected children and healthcare systems in general. Considering the eventual suffering of vulnerable children and their families if nursing students are insufficiently educated and ill-prepared, the current study aimed at assessing final year nursing student’s knowledge and attitudes pertaining to pediatric pain. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 final year undergraduate nursing students at a private university college in Ghana. In addition to their ages and gender, the students responded to the 42 individual items on the Pediatric Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes Survey regarding pain (PNKAS) instrument. Descriptive statistical analysis was aided by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 software. The mean age of the final year nursing students was 29 years (range of 21 to 47 years); a majority of them were females (78%). Participants had an average (SD) correct answer score of 44.0% (10.6%). Good pediatric pain knowledge and attitudes were observed in items that were related to the individualized and multidimensional nature of the pain experience and its treatment, benefits of pre-emptive analgesia, pharmacodynamics, and pain assessment. Poor pediatric pain knowledge and attitudes occurred in items that focused on pain perceptions, opioid drug administration, useful pain medications, pain physiology, and nonpharmacological pain management interventions. Final year nursing students have insufficient knowledge and attitudes toward children’s pain management. Areas of good and poor pediatric pain knowledge and attitudes should be considered when designing and implementing educational interventions on this subject. Curricular revisions should be made on existing nursing curriculum to lay more emphasis on children’s pain management and use educational interventions that support knowledge translation for improved care.

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Pediatric pain management competencies taught to nursing students in Rwanda: Perspectives of nurse educators, preceptors and nursing students

Journal of Nursing Education and Practice ◽

10.5430/jnep.v10n12p21 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 21

Author(s):

Philomene Uwimana ◽

Donatilla Mukamana ◽

Oluyinka Adejumo ◽

Yolanda Babenko-Mould

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Nurse Educators ◽

Pediatric Pain ◽

Management Competencies ◽

Quality Health Care ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Quality Health ◽

Service Training

Competency for pediatric pain management is fundamental for nurses’ responsibility in caring for pediatric patients with pain. However, effective nursing management of pain in hospitalized children continues to be a challenge more often linked to competency deficit as a consequence of unpreparedness in the pre-licensing education. Previous studies have established that nursing students exhibited lack of knowledge and poor attitudes regarding pediatric pain management, but none of the studies were done in the Rwandan context. The current study explores the pediatric pain management competencies taught to nursing students in Rwanda. An exploratory descriptive qualitative design based on face-to-face individual interviews and focus group discussions was utilized. Fourteen nurse educators and preceptors and nineteen nursing students were recruited from five study settings to explore their perspectives about pediatric pain management competencies taught to nursing students. Participants’ narratives were analysed using thematic analysis from which six main themes emerged. Participants narrated that competencies related to children pain assessment, pain medication and non-drug pain management interventions were taught to students. However, findings also revealed the challenges that impacted the teaching and learning of paediatric pain management, which need to be addressed for the improvement of pre-service training about pain management in children. The findings from the study suggested further research for a better understanding of the nature of those challenges to inform tailored strategies aimed at improving quality health care provision to children through an improved pediatric pain management education at the undergraduate level.

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Knowledge and attitude survey regarding pain among nurse students of selected colleges in Biratnagar

Nepalese Journal of Biosciences ◽

10.3126/njbs.v5i1.41750 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 65-67

Author(s):

Dipty Subba ◽

Neela Subba

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Basic Knowledge ◽

Medical Attention ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Nursing Curricula ◽

Pain Knowledge ◽

Knowledge And Attitude

Pain is the most common reason why people seek medical attention. Nurses are the professionals who spend more time and round the clock with patient than any other member of health care professions. Pain management is a priority in nursing care but nursing students often find it a challenge. That is why nurse must possess the basic knowledge to identify the presence of pain in patients, to measure its intensity and make the steps necessary for treatment. Nursing students must be adequately prepared, in terms of knowledge and skill, to manage pain. For that nurse educators need to understand nursing students' pain knowledge and attitudes in order to design interventions to enhance their readiness for pain management. Therefore, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the knowledge and attitudes regarding pain. The “Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain” tool was applied to 64 post basic bachelor nursing students by convenient purposive sampling from one private and one Government College. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The age of the respondents ranges from 19 to 32 years with the mean age of 24.23 years. Most of the nurses are from ICU ward and have more than 2 years of working experience. The result of the study showed that many of the respondents 70.31% (n=45) were having poor knowledge regarding pain, mostly knowledge regarding the pharmacological aspect (80%) were found insufficient and perception of patient’s pain (60%). There is a need to give much attention on pain management in nursing curricula because nurses performed an instrumental role in the assessment and evaluation of pain.

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Pediatric pain management: Knowledge and attitudes among nursing students in Saudi Arabia (A cross-sectional study)

International Journal of ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES ◽

10.21833/ijaas.2019.09.010 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

pp. 64-70

Author(s):

Jazi Shaydied Alotaibi ◽

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Pain Management ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Pediatric Pain ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Management Knowledge

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Nursing-Related Barriers to Children’s Pain Management at Selected Hospitals in Ghana: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2020/7125060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Abigail Kusi Amponsah ◽

Evans Frimpong Kyei ◽

John Bright Agyemang ◽

Hanson Boakye ◽

Joana Kyei-Dompim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Pediatric Care ◽

Material Resources ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Communication Difficulties ◽

Children's Pain ◽

Descriptive Qualitative

Staff shortages, deficient knowledge, inappropriate attitudes, demanding workloads, analgesic shortages, and low prioritization of pain management have been identified in earlier studies as the nursing-related barriers to optimal children’s pain management. These studies have mainly been undertaken in developed countries, which have different healthcare dynamics than those in developing countries. The current study, therefore, sought to identify and understand the nursing-related barriers to children’s pain management in the Ghanaian context. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted among 28 purposively sampled nurses working in the pediatric units of five hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Over the course of three months, participants were interviewed on the barriers which prevented them from optimally managing children’s pain in practice. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and deductively analysed based on a conceptual interest in pain assessment and management-related barriers. NVivo 12 plus software guided data management and analyses. The mean age of participating nurses was 30 years, with majority being females (n = 24). Participants had worked in the nursing profession for an average of five years and in the pediatric care settings for an average of two years. The nursing-related barriers identified in the present study included communication difficulties in assessing and evaluating pain management interventions with children who have nonfunctional speech, insufficient training, misconceptions on the experience of pain in children, lack of assessment tools, and insufficient number of nurses to manage the workload and nurses’ inability to prescribe analgesics. The present study revealed some barriers which prevented Ghanaian nurses from optimally managing children’s pain. Nurses should be educated, empowered, and supported with the requisite material resources to effectively manage children’s pain and improve outcomes for families, healthcare systems, and the nation. Future studies should explore the facilitators and barriers from other stakeholders involved in pediatric pain management.

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Emotional Intelligence, Pain Knowledge, and Attitudes of Nursing Students in Hong Kong

Pain Management Nursing ◽

10.1016/j.pmn.2016.02.001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 159-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Joanne C.Y. Chan ◽

Takeshi Hamamura

Keyword(s):

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Pain Knowledge

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Canadian Emergency Medicine Residents’ Perspectives on Pediatric Pain Management

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2015.2 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 507-515 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Huma Ali ◽

Janeva Kircher ◽

Christine Meyers ◽

Joseph MacLellan ◽

Samina Ali

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Pain Management ◽

Online Survey ◽

Oral Morphine ◽

Management Approach ◽

Developmentally Delayed ◽

Pediatric Pain ◽

Graduate Curricula ◽

Facilitators And Barriers ◽

Children's Pain

AbstractBackgroundUnder-treatment of children’s pain in the emergency department (ED) can have many detrimental effects. Emergency medicine (EM) residents often manage pediatric pain, but their educational needs and perspectives have not been studied.MethodsA novel online survey was administered from May to June 2013 to 122 EM residents at three Canadian universities using a modified Dillman methodology. The survey instrument captured information on training received in pediatric acute pain management, approach to common painful presentations, level of comfort, perceived facilitators, and barriers and attitudes towards pediatric pain.Results56 residents participated (46%), 25 of whom (45%) indicated they had not received any training in pediatric pain assessment. All levels of residents reported they were uncomfortable with pain assessment in 0-2 year olds (p=0.07); level of comfort with assessment increased with years of training for patients aged 2-12 years (p=0.02). When assessing children with disabilities, 83% of respondents (45/54) indicated they were ‘extremely’ or ‘somewhat’ uncomfortable. Sixty-nine percent (38/55) had received training on how to treat pediatric pain. All residents reported they were more comfortable using pain medication for a 9 year old, as compared to a 1 year old (oral oxycodone p<0.001, oral morphine p<0.001, IV morphine p=0.004). The preferred methods to learn about children’s pain management were role-modeling (61%) and lectures (57%). The top challenges in pain management were with non-verbal, younger, or developmentally delayed patients.ConclusionCanadian EM residents report receiving inadequate training in pediatric pain management, and are particularly uneasy with younger or developmentally disabled children. Post-graduate curricula should be adjusted to correct these self-identified weaknesses in children’s pain management.

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Children’s Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes on Paediatric Pain: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Survey in a Developing Country

Nurse Media Journal of Nursing ◽

10.14710/nmjn.v10i3.32457 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 222-233

Author(s):

Evans Oduro ◽

Abigail Kusi-Amponsah Diji ◽

Grace Kusi ◽

Albert Amagyei ◽

Joana Kyei-Dompim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Professional Education ◽

Management Practices ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Pediatric Pain ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Hospital Facility ◽

Pain Knowledge ◽

Nurses Knowledge

Background: Children’s nurses’ knowledge of pain affects their pain management practices. Even though poor knowledge and attitudes have been reported in several studies, most were carried out in developed settings. However, little has been reported on the management of paediatric pain by nurses in resource-limited settings such as in sub-Saharan Africa.Purpose: This study sought to assess the knowledge and perceptions of children’s nurses regarding paediatric pain in a Ghanaian context.Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out among 65 nurses at eight hospitals at various levels of healthcare in Ghana. Over three months, participants’ demographic data and responses on the Pediatric Nurses Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain (PNKAS) instrument were collected. Data were analyzed and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: Participants’ average (SD) knowledge and attitudes regarding paeditric pain was 36.7% (6.9%) and ranged from 21.4% to 57.1%. Pediatric pain knowledge and attitudes (PPKA) of the nurses differed based on working years in the children’s unit and the hospital type they worked in (p<0.05). Nevertheless, the type of hospital facility was the only independent predictor of their PPKA (R2=0.181, p<0.001).Conclusion: Children nurses in this setting generally had insufficient knowledge and attitudes on paediatric pain. They should be motivated to undertake self-directed learning and regular continuing professional education to update their knowledge, attitude and skills on evidence-based pediatric pain assessment and management.

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