Pain management: clinician survey and institutional needs assessment

In 1996, 738 BUMC clinicians, representing 8 disciplines and >24 specialties, were surveyed using the Clinician Survey and Institutional Needs Assessment. This survey was developed by the Education Development Center, Inc., and distributed to 50 participating health care institutions in 21 states as part of the Mayday Pain Management Project. The BUMC findings revealed a gap between clinician knowledge and application of that knowledge to patient case scenarios. Clinician knowledge deficits included equianalgesic dosing, analgesic administration and dosing principles, nonpharmacological treatments, and assessment and management of pain in special populations. Fears and misconceptions about oversedation and drug abuse persist. Participants identified several legal and regulatory issues related to pain management, as well as improved collaboration among health care team members, as opportunities for professional growth. Based on these findings, BUMC has developed a pain management continuous quality improvement program.