The effectiveness of continuing education in postoperative pain management: results from a follow-up study

Does Education Improve Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Practice in Relation to Pain Management? An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Pain is undertreated in both adults and children and a major factor linked to this is nurses' lack of knowledge as evidenced by studies undertaken globally.

OBJECTIVE

This review sought to explore the effects educational interventions can have on nurses' knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practice regarding pain management.

DESIGN

An integrative review DATA SOURCES: Systematic search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, and Psych INFO.

REVIEW/ANALYSIS METHODS

Five major databases were systematically searched from the year 2000-December 2019 with a total of 33 studies included in the final review.

RESULTS

The literature revealed that many nurses had inadequate knowledge and a poor attitude towards pain at baseline, which may be improved through educational intervention. However, misconceptions remained at post-intervention, particularly regarding pharmacological pain management.

CONCLUSIONS

Education is a possible means to enhance nurses' knowledge and improve attitudes and practices in pain management. However, there was some evidence that this may decline over time, and continuous professional updates are likely required.

Observational study of post-operative pain control before and after the implementation of a clinical practice guideline for postoperative pain management

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Postoperative pain is common in hospitals. Clinical practice guidelines for the control of postoperative pain (CPGPP) have been developed to improve its treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and intensity of postoperative pain and analgesic norms, before and after the implementation of a CPGPP.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

An observational study was carried out that included 2cross-sectional studies in 2separate periods, before and after implementation of the CPGPP. Adult patients postoperated on the first day of admission in the surgery plants were included. Demographic, clinical and pharmacological variables were collected from clinical histories. The intensity of the pain was collected through individual interviews with patients.

RESULTS

We included 306 patients in the first period and 317 in the second. There were no differences between patients' demographic and clinical variables and the 2periods. The prevalence of pain was 92% (IC 95%: 87%-95%) in the first period and 77% (IC 95%: 72%-82%) in the second (P <0.05). The most frequent pain in the last 24hours was moderate or intense in 53% (IC 95%: 48%-59%) of patients in the first period and in 33% (IC 95%: 28%-38%) of the patients in the second (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

After the implementation of the CPGPP, a decrease in the prevalence and intensity of pain in patients was observed, but without reaching an optimal level. Continued pain training and assessment measures are therefore necessary for proper pain treatment over time.

The Impact of an In-service Educational Program on Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Management in an Ethiopian University Hospital

Background: Although pain control for hospitalized patients is a central issue for all health care providers, nurses' knowledge, and attitudes are the major barriers. Educational program is a strategy to improve nurses' knowledge and attitudes on pain management. However, there is paucity of information on how in-service education program influences nurses' knowledge and attitudes score for pain management in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was therefore, to investigate the influence of an in-service educational program on nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management in an Ethiopian university hospital. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted between 1 October and 15 November 2016. Totally 111 nurses working at Jimma University Medical Center participated in the study. We provided 2 consecutive days of intensive pain management education with a follow-up training session after 1 month. Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) was used as a tool for measuring the impact of educational program. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and results were considered significant at p < 0.05. Result: Of the 111 nurses, who participated in the study, 39.5% were female, 46.8% had a baccalaureate degree, and 67.6% had worked in nursing for 6-10 years. The mean age of respondents was 26.9 (SD ± 5.6) years. On average, participants answered 41.4% of the survey items correctly before the intervention and 63.0% after the intervention. The mean rank score of nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain significantly improved following participation in the educational program (Z = -9.08, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The educational program improved nurses' scores for pain management knowledge and attitudes. This may lead to more effective pain management by nurses.

Mandatory continuing professional development requirements: what does this mean for Australian nurses

Background

This paper presents a discussion related to the recent decision in Australia to introduce mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for nurses. Historically there has been international debate surrounding mandatory CPD requirements; this debate is ongoing as Australian nurses face a diverse range of CPD offerings from a variety of providers.

Discussion

The purpose of this paper is to examine how mandatory CPD requirements for national nursing registration in Australia have evolved and to present an analysis of what this will mean for Australian nurses. What is yet to be determined is how to measure professional development and the effectiveness of professional development education. This is important to the international community with consensus in the literature that professional development is linked to ongoing education. Contradicting arguments are presented about whether this professional development should be mandatory.

Summary

Presenting a contemporary discussion about the current and potential impact of mandatory CPD requirements for nurses, this discussion paper utilises the case of Australia’s current national policy and CPD operation to examine the choices that nurses make in order to fulfil their legislative requirements. Additional arguments are presented about the barriers nurses face in undertaking CPD. The quest for effective CPD is complex and should incorporate different situations for nurses and individual learning styles.

Nursing knowledge and beliefs regarding patient-controlled oral analgesia (PCOA)

Patient-controlled oral analgesia (PCOA) allows patients to self-administer oral opioids for pain management. Advantages of PCOA include improved pain control with lower doses of opioids, decreased length of stay, increased patient satisfaction, and better functional outcomes than conventional nurse-administered oral analgesia. Sucessful PCOA programs are well described in the literature. However, nurses have concerns about allowing patients to self-administer opioids. The purpose of this study was to identify nurses' knowledge and beliefs regarding PCOA. Nurses who work at the Holland Orthopaedic and Arthritic Centre were asked to complete a survey exploring their beliefs regarding PCOA. The nurses were asked to complete the same survey twice: before an education program in February 2010, and 3 months after implementation of PCOA in June 2010. In February 2010, 74 nurses and in June 2010, 32 nurses participated in the survey. Some nurses (18%) had previous experience with PCOA. At both the pre-education and the postimplementation times, nurses thought that the PCOA program reduced wait times for analgesics and improved patient satisfaction with pain management. Before program implementation, negative beliefs included that patients on the PCOA program would lose their analgesics, would give their analgesics to visitors or other patients, and were at risk for having their analgesics stolen and that the nurse was liable if the patient's analgesics were lost or stolen. After program implementation, no nurse believed that patients would lose their analgesics or give their analgesics to visitors or other patients or that they were liable for lost or stolen analgesics. However, nurses continued to think that patients were at risk for having their analgesics stolen. We found that nurses were concerned that analgesics could be lost, misused, or stolen and that they would be liable for lost analgesics. These findings were consistent with literature discussing patients' outcomes regarding PCOA. However, after education and experience these concerns decreased or resolved. It is important to address these concerns before PCOA program implementation.

Singaporean nurses' provision of guidance to parents on non-pharmacological postoperative pain-relief methods: An educational intervention study

This study examined the impact of an educational intervention (booklet distribution and lectures) on Singaporean nurses' provision of guidance to parents on the use of non-pharmacological methods of pain relief for their child's postoperative pain. Using a quasi-experimental one-group pre- and post-test study design, 134 and 112 registered nurses completed the questionnaires pre- and post-test, respectively. More than 75% of the nurses "always" guided parents to use breathing techniques, relaxation, positioning, comforting/reassurance, helping with activities of daily living, and creating a comfortable environment in the pretest and touch, presence, and distraction in addition to the aforementioned methods in the post-test. The nurses' provision of guidance to parents on all non-pharmacological methods increased, but statistically significant increases only were found in relation to massage and positive reinforcement. The results suggested that the educational intervention had some impact on nurses' provision of guidance to parents on the use of non-pharmacological methods of pain relief for children's postoperative pain. Continuing education in pain management should be provided to nurses in order to equip them with the knowledge to improve their practice.

Continuing education: a bridge to excellence in critical care nursing

A professional nurse engages in lifelong learning that will influence practice and ultimately impact the quality of care that a patient receives. The technical skills and critical thinking acumen demonstrated by the critical care nurse at the bedside are not enough to sustain an evidence-based practice environment. Nurses need to cultivate and internalize a passion for learning throughout their careers. They need to adopt a healthy work environment that gives merit to continuing education (CE). This article will discuss perspectives in CE for the nurse. Research findings to illustrate the significance of professional development will be presented. The integration of passion for learning that provides a foundation for excellence in practice will be addressed. Finally, a variety of strategies that can be used to participate in and develop interactive CE programs to meet the needs of savvy professional nurse consumers will be explored.