The Association between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Using Pain Assessment Tools among Critically Ill Patients

Background and Objectives: Pain is still undertreated among ICU patients, especially cognitively impaired patients. Nurses play a crucial role in their management. However, previous studies found that nurses had insufficient knowledge about pain assessment and management. Some nurses' socio-demographic characteristics, such as being female; age; years of experience; type of unit, either medical or surgical; education level; years of nursing experience; qualification; position; and hospital level, were found to be associated with their practices of pain assessment and management. This study aimed to examine the association between nurses' socio-demographic characteristics and the use of pain assessment tools for critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 200 Jordanian nurses responded to the Pain Assessment and Management for the Critically Ill questionnaire to achieve the study's aim. Results: The type of hospital, academic qualification, years of experience as a critical care nurse, and hospital affiliation were significantly associated with increased use of self-report pain assessment tools for verbal patients, while the type of hospital and hospital affiliation was significantly associated with an increased use of observational pain assessment tools for nonverbal patients. Conclusion: Examining the association between socio-demographic characteristics and the use of pain assessment tools for critically ill patients is essential for quality pain practice.

The use of islamic spiritual care practices among critically ill adult patients: A systematic review

Spiritual care is essential to the healthcare plans of critically ill patients and their families. However, spiritual care remains neglected and requires healthcare institutions and providers' attention to be incorporated into healthcare management plans, especially for critically ill Muslim patients and their families. To date, no review has been conducted to discuss spiritual care in adult critical care Muslim patients. Spiritual care and Holy Quran recitation have been reported to be practical non-pharmacological interventions for critically ill Muslim patients. However, there is a need for Islamic healthcare institutions and providers to pay further attention to including spiritual care in the healthcare management plans of their patients. Also, future research is recommended to test the effectiveness of incorporating spiritual care in the healthcare plans of critical care patients.

Critical care nurses' perceived barriers and enablers of pain assessment and management

Aim: To examine critical care nurses' perceived barriers and enablers of pain assessment and management. Materials/methods: This descriptive correlational study recruited a convenience sample of 200 Jordanian nurses. Pain Assessment and Management for the Critically Ill questionnaire was used to measure the study variables. Results: The most common barriers to pain assessment and management were patient inability to communicate (57.5%), patient instability (56.5%), and the lack of protocols/guidelines for pain assessment (55.0%). Whereas the most common enablers for effective pain management practices were the ongoing education on pain for nurses (60.5%) and physicians who prescribe adequate doses of analgesia (60.0%). Conclusion: Addressing nurses' perceived barriers and the enablers of pain assessment and management is crucial for optimal pain practice.

Nurses’ Pain Assessment Practices for Cognitively Intact and Impaired Older Adults in Intensive Care Units

Introduction

Pain is still under-recognized and undertreated among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, such as those being intubated or with dementia, cognitive impairments, or communication deficits due to inability to self-report. This study aimed to describe nurses' pain assessment practices for cognitively intact and impaired older adult ICU patients.

Methods

A descriptive correlational study of a convenience sample of 200 registered nurses was conducted in private, public, and university-affiliated hospitals in Irbid, Jordan. Descriptive statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency, were used to analyze the study data.

Results

Statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of nurses who assessed and documented pain every 1–4 h in cognitively intact patients than those with cognitive impairment (n = 67, 63.21% vs. n = 39, 36.79%), p = 0.002, compared to the proportion of nurses who never assessed and document pain in cognitively impaired patients than those without cognitive impairment (n = 38, 76.0% vs. n = 12, 24%), p < 0.001.

Discussion/Conclusion

Our study results showed that the majority of participant nurses felt that the use of pain assessment tools for cognitively intact and impaired older adult ICU patients to self-report is somewhat not at all important. This study also reported that nurses perceived themselves as the individuals who accurately rate the pain in cognitively intact patients, followed by the patients themselves.

Demographic Data Differences in Perceived Control over Nursing Practice among Nurses Caring for Nursing Home Residents

Introduction

Control over nursing practice is crucial for improved quality of life for nursing home (NH) residents. Nevertheless, little is known about the association of nurses' demographic data with their perceived control over nursing practice in Jordan and beyond. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the differences in nurses' levels of perceived control over nursing practice based on their demographic characteristics.

Methods

This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of 163 nurses caring for NH residents. Nurses' perceived control over nursing practice was measured by the Control Over Nursing Practice (CONP) scale.

Results

The participating nurses were found to have low levels of perceived control over nursing practice which varied between the nurse groups according to gender, level of experience, and type of NHs.

Discussion/Conclusion

This study is the first quantitative study to examine association between nurses' demographic characteristics, such as age or years of nursing experience, and their perceived control over nursing practice. Despite the preliminary findings of this study, the findings of this study provide a better understanding of the impact of nurses' sociodemographic and professional characteristics on their levels of perceived control over nursing practice.

Nurses' Perceived Barriers to and Facilitators of Pain Assessment and Management in Critical Care Patients: A Systematic Review

Aim

This review aims to examine nurses’ perceived barriers to and facilitators of pain assessment and management in adult critical care patients.

Background

Pain is one of the worst memories among critically ill patients. However, pain among those patients is still undertreated due to several barriers that impede effective management. Therefore, addressing the perceived barriers and facilitators to pain assessment management among critical care nurses is crucial.

Methods

A systematic search of pain assessment and management in critical care patient-relevant literature from four databases was done, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Results

The barriers and facilitators were categorized into four groups: nurse-related, patient-related, physician-related, and system-related. The most frequently reported barriers in this study included nurses’ lack of knowledge regarding the use of pain assessment tools, patients’ inability to communicate, physicians’ prescription of analgesics being independent of pain scores evaluation, and absence of standardized guidelines and protocols for pain evaluation and control. For the facilitators, the most reported ones include ongoing education and professional training related to pain assessment and management, patients’ ability to self-report pain, effective collaboration between physicians and nurses, and productive discussion of patients’ pain scores during nurse-to-nurse handovers.

Conclusion

Various barriers and facilitators to pain assessment and management were identified and examined in this review. However, future research is still needed to further investigate these barriers and facilitators and examine any other potential associated factors among critical care nurses.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

The findings of our study could help hospital managers in developing continuous education and staff development training programs on assessing and managing pain for critical care patients. Also, our findings could be used to develop an evidence-based standard pain management protocol tailored to effectively assess and promptly treat pain in critical care patients.