Nurses' knowledge of opioid analgesic drugs and psychological dependence

Inadequate knowledge of opioid analgesic drugs and the incidence of psychological dependence are major barriers to nursing management of patients in pain. This study analyzed data obtained from 27 workshops on pain across 14 states (2,459 nurses) to determine current nursing knowledge of pharmacological management of pain. Results indicate that nurses lack knowledge in classification of opioids ranging from 23 to 98% correct response across seven analgesic drugs. Less than 25% of nurses correctly identified the frequency of psychological dependence. Further analysis revealed significant differences in basic versus advanced learners and geographical differences in knowledge. Implications are made for nursing education and practice.