Educating for tomorrow: enhancing nurses' pain management knowledge

The Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, was the lead agency in developing a pain management continuing education program for front-line nurses in a variety of settings in northwestern Ontario. A committee of experts from the centre as well as from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Regional Cancer Care; the Pain and Symptom Management Team, North West Community Care Access Centre; the Victorian Order of Nurses and Lakehead University school of nursing developed the program. The program included a pre-test of knowledge and attitudes; four two-hour educational sessions focusing on total pain, acute pain, chronic pain and cancer pain; and a post self-test at the end of each session. The educational sessions were evaluated through a survey to participants. Overall, the nurses expressed high satisfaction with the workshops, and the post self-tests indicated a better understanding of patients' pain management experiences. As a result of the evaluation, the education planning committee refined the program, which is currently being delivered to nurses in rural and remote communities via telehealth.