Effect of education on the knowledge and attitudes of acute care nurses regarding pain management

Abstract

Often nurses lack knowledge about existing evidence-based pain management practices. In addition, nurses frequently express negative attitudes regarding pain and pain management. Nurses may change pain management practices and gain an enhanced attitude toward pain and pain management following education programs on pain management. The purpose of this study is to assess knowledge and attitudes about evidence-based pain management in a group of acute care nurses prior to and after an online educational intervention. This is a modified replication of the Swain (2008) study. Translation Science is the theoretical framework used for implementation of evidence-based pain management practices. The convenience sample will be 400 nurses from acute care nursing units at a regional teaching community hospital. Nurses will complete the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain prior to and after an online educational intervention. The findings will provide information about nurse pain knowledge, nurse attitudes about pain and pain management, and the effect of an online education intervention on nurse pain knowledge and nurse pain attitudes.