Evaluating pain management delivered by direct care nurses

It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of pain management care because pain management is a complex process. This article describes a quality assurance study that was conducted on a surgical unit at a community teaching hospital, which is a member of a 1200 licensed inpatient beds multihospital system, to determine the effectiveness of pain management at the unit level. For the study, a Chart Audit Analysis Tool was developed and used to review second postoperative day charts of patients who had undergone a major abdominal surgery. The Chart Audit Analysis Tool quantifies by weighted indicators 2 outcomes measures, nurses' care delivery and pharmacologic management. The Chart Audit Analysis Tool, along with the results of a test of the nurses' knowledge and attitudes about pain management, provides nurse managers a quick and easy method to identify strengths and weaknesses of pain management at the unit level.